Where the Hell Have You Been?
by rachangeleyes
Summary: This involves Daryl escaping from Woodbury and running back to the prison. There's also parts from Carol's POV back at the prison. I only wish I owned The Walking Dead!
1. Chapter 1

Branches of trees struck and whipped his face and he ran through the woods, trying to avoid as many walkers as possible. He knew what would happen if he didn't get back to the prison fast enough. They were probably already on their way.

...

"Where is he?"

"Carol... Please calm down. We'll-"

"No! Where is he? You _left _him there?"

"There was nothing we could do! We were-"

"You left him on his own!"

Carol's voice broke and she sunk down to sit on one of the chairs. Rick crouched down in front of her.

"We're gonna go back. He's gonna be fine."

Carol met his eyes with her own teary ones. "How do you know that?"

"C'mon," Rick said. "It's Daryl." He stopped. "But- er-"

She looked up. "But what?"

Rick hesitated but said, "Merle was there. He's alive."

Carol felt like she'd been struck in the stomach. She remembered Merle clearly. Always bossing his younger brother around. Racist. Something Daryl no longer was. Then she felt fear. What if he went with Merle and left her? Left the group? Or if he brought Merle back here... She wondered about the reaction of the group to that. She saw Glenn's face and what he had done. He wouldn't be welcomed and Daryl may even have to choose.

...

Another arrow in another walker. He stooped to remove it and ran on, remembering the Governor's voice clearly in his head.

_"Both of you will have to die for your crimes of terrorism against this town and it's people!"_

He shook his head and carried on running despite the stitch in his side. He had to get to Carol and the group. They would be preparing to go to the prison now and he knew he was running out of time.

...

Axel looked in on Carol's cell and came inside, sitting on the bed with her. "Sorry 'bout your loss," he said.

She turned to face him and frowned fiercely. "What're you talking about?" There was more venom in her voice than she'd ever heard and she tried to not be surprised about it.

"Well, they... They left him there, didn't they?" he asked, edging closer.

Carol stood up quickly and made for the door to her cell then she turned back. "He isn't dead. He'll be fine," she said forcefully, making herself believe the words tumbling out of her mouth.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't get upset," he said, standing up and tracking her movements.

"I'm not!" she cried. Then she realised that she was crying. She angrily wiped at her tears and straightened up. "He's going to be alright, okay?"

Axel shrugged. "I don't-"

"Listen to me," she said, charging forward and pushing him in the chest, "he's going to be fine! He's always fine!... Now leave me alone!" She whipped around and stalked out of her cell and up the stairs to Daryl's perch. Carol brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Then she noticed Daryl's poncho was on the floor in front of her and she picked it up, hugging it to her chest. "Please, Daryl. Please be okay."

...

That was close. A walker came at him out of nowhere. A vision of Merle doing the same thing came into his mind.

_Merle had run at him and knocked him to the floor before he had time to realise what was happening. He brought his fist back over his head then, just before the blow could occur, he stopped and stood up as though he had realised that this was his little brother. Not just another guy he could knock around a few times. Merle helped him up, untied him, looked at him for another second then faced the Governor. _

_"He had nothing t'do with this. It was me. It was all me," he said, stepping in front of Daryl._

_Then everything happened all at once. Merle running at the Governor, a gunshot, a fight. Daryl took advantage of the commotion and grabbed his crossbow off some guy who was holding it. He pulled and snatched it back and then ran. He didn't look back._

He pulled his knife back out of the walker's head then started to run again. Quickly dragging his arm across his damp eyes, he knew he couldn't be that far off the prison.

...

"Are you alright?" Beth said, sitting next to her in the main room.

Carol nodded and braved a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"He'll be alright, y'know?" Beth said, a corner of her mouth tugging up into a slight smile.

"Yeah. Course he will," Carol replied, looking down at Beth then around the room. "Where is everyone?"

Beth's face fell. "Hershel's treating Glenn's wounds and Rick's with them. They're deciding what to do now after Glenn's back on his feet. Maggie hasn't left his side since it all happened. Carl's feeding Judith in his cell."

"Then where's-"

"You okay, ladies?" Axel said, appearing behind them.

They both whipped around and faced him. Carol stood slightly in front of Beth, constantly wary about him being around her.

"Shouldn't you be on the guard tower keeping watch?" Carol snapped.

Axel shrugged. "Keeping watch for what? Your boyfriend's not coming back any time soon," he said with a slight innocent smile on his face.

Carol's face ignited but it wasn't embarrassment. It was anger. She stepped closer to the convict. "You don't know him. You don't know him at all. He will be back. He can fend for himself," she said, remembering the time over winter where he had told her about his two weeks lost in the woods when he was a child.

"If ya say so," Axel said, shrugging. "I wouldn't bet on it though."

That was it. Something inside her just broke.

"Get the hell out," she said, calmly.

"Carol?" Rick said, appearing behind herself and Beth.

Her eyes didn't leave Axel. "I told you nicely. Get out. I don't want you near us anymore."

Rick put a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

She shrugged his hand off and turned to face him. "I'm sick of him. He's constantly hovering over me... And Beth," she added, noticing Hershel appearing out of the cells. "He keeps telling us Daryl won't make it and... I don't feel safe with him here." The last part, she knew would do the trick.

Rick faced him and frowned. "I want you out of here. In your own cell block. I don't want you near my people."

Axel looked threatened for the first time and now scared. "No... c'mon, Mister! I didn't mean it! I was just sayin', y'know? There's a chance-"

"I don't wanna hear it. Just get back to your own cell block."

Axel dropped his gaze and trudged out of the room. Carol stood defiantly next to Beth and felt a little better.

...

There it was. The prison was there. He shot at one walker. Then another. Clutching the stitch in his side, he walked closer to the gate. He fished the key out of his pocket and threw the gate open, closing it behind him. There was nobody in the watch tower and it was mid-day. _Morons, _he thought and took off running up the path to the cell blocks again. He saw Axel moving back into the other block and frowned at him. Axel seemed to jump but disbelief was on his face.

"Woah! You're back! Best get inside and tell your missus you're alive."

He grunted at Axel, pushed away a blush that was threatening to form on his cheeks and sped inside his own cell block.

...

She heard the doors bang open and instantly everyone was on their guard. Rick, Carl and Carol all had their guns pointed at the door. Until he walked in. She dropped her gun in disbelief and her eyes filled with tears. That was all she needed. She pushed past Rick and Carl and met him as he left the last stair, crushing herself against his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck on her tip toes. At first, he grabbed onto the railing to hold them both in place and he wasn't sure of what to do but he finally decided to pull her in around her waist and hugged her back.

"Where the hell have you been?" she mumbled into his shoulder.

He pulled back to look at her and then into the smiling faces of Rick, Hershel and Carl. Finally, he looked back at Carol and blushed slightly. Then he remembered why he was out of breath and what had happened at Woodbury and Merle. His arms dropped and he scanned the people around him.

"We need to leave here."


	2. Chapter 2

-only short but I'll try to update as often as I can until I run out of ideas-

"What do you mean we need to leave?" Carol asked, stepping back to look at him properly. His hair was messy and windswept and he had multiple cuts on his face and up his arms.

He looked at her. "Woodbury." He looked at Rick. "We need to go. They're comin' here and they have a lot more people than us."

Rick frowned. "We're not leavin'. This place is ours."

For the first time, Daryl looked mildly angry. "Ya' don't understand. They have guns, loads of shit. We need to go."

"Look, we can defend this place. We have strong walls, weapons and people. New people," he added, looking towards the new group to the side witnessing the confrontation.

Daryl looked at them. "Who the hell's this?"

"They came in through one of the blocks and Carl found them being attacked," Carol interrupted.

He looked at her. "They good people?"

She nodded. "They seem okay."

Daryl had lost his train of thought then memories of Woodbury came to him again. "Look, it don't matter. We just need t' go."

"Just calm down. We know what they're like. We can go up against them," Rick said, looking at him intently.

Daryl ran his hands through his hair. "Y'just don't get it, do ya? They're comin' for us. They're comin' for the prison and we won't be able to defend ourselves!"

Carol watched him. He looked tired, agitated but- most of all- upset. His gaze switched from Rick to her and he looked at her for a few seconds before taking off outside the cell block again. She looked at Rick who was already crossing over to Tyreese, Sasha and the other members of the new group.

"We need you on our side. Can you defend this place with us?"

…

Outside, Daryl felt much calmer. The air was cool on his face and he walked down to the grass. He sighed and sat down and then it hit him. How tired he was. How hungry and thirsty he was.

A few moments later, as if she had been reading his mind, Carol appeared behind him with a bowl of food and a cup of fresh water.

"Thanks," he said, taking the food and water from her.

Without saying a word, she settled down on the grass beside him. Their shoulders were barely brushing but it was comfortable. He ate the food and washed it down with the water quickly and felt slightly better.

"You okay?" she asked and he knew, from her face, that she had braved the question. She looked unsure.

As much as he wanted to, Daryl couldn't nod his head. He couldn't say he was fine but that's what she was counting on, wasn't it?

"Daryl?"

He dropped his head. His arms fell over his knees that were slightly bent and his head rested comfortably on them. Daryl felt his eyelids dropping and, maybe it was from the fatigue, he felt his eyes start to water. He kneaded them furiously with the heels of his hands but that only made it worse. In the end, he let his eyes water but he couldn't look at her.

"What happened?" she asked, edging closer to him.

He didn't feel threatened by her and he didn't flinch any more. He needed to tell someone.

…

Carol noticed how tense and tired he was but she didn't expect him to start speaking.

"In Woodbury… they caught me. Threw me in this ring with Merle. There was a crowd around us shouting that… that we needed t' be killed." He paused. "Merle knocked me down. Then I think he thought about it and… and he helped me back up. Untied my hands. Said that everything was his doin' and tried to get me out of it. Then…it just all happened at once." Another pause. "Merle ran at the Governor. Think it caught him a little off guard. Andrea was there- yeah," he added, noticing Carol's face. "She was probably with him. She tried to help but it didn' work. The Governor cried out to his men and, uh, they shot at them. Probably caught him as well. He screamed. Merle did. They both hit the floor. Then everyone started to run to them. Loadsa people. So I… I just grabbed my crossbow and ran. They knew about the prison so they'll probably come here. I don't wanna stay."

Carol sat in silence. What he had just said felt like a punch. "So… Merle…"

"Dead, probably." His answer was short and harsh and she realised then how fragile he looked. Yes, he was tired but that wasn't the main thing. He looked like a boy. Scared, unsure and broken. "But if Rick doesn't get the stick outta his ass, we're all gonna be targets," he said, standing up and throwing his hands over his head, dragging them through his hair. "I don't wan' anythin' to happen t' you- the group," he quickly corrected.

It didn't matter. Carol heard and she closed the gap between them, standing up. "Everyone's gonna be fine. You don't need to worry as much as you do. You protect everyone and never stop to think about yourself."

She saw his shoulders drop a little as though a massive weight had been lifted from them and the corner of his mouth flicked up in a smile. He nodded.

"You look exhausted, you should get some sleep," she said, resting her hand on the bicep of one of his arms, surprised when he didn't recoil. She let her hand drop.

He nodded again and they walked back up to the cell block again, their arms slightly brushing.


	3. Chapter 3

The last thing she expected when she finished making food for everyone was to see Daryl sat on her bed back in her cell. It was early afternoon now and he was sat on the edge of the bed with his feet on the floor and his hands in his lap, his pale blue eyes looking at them. His fingers were fidgeting and intertwining with his others but his eyes never left them. Finally, he looked up and saw her.

"Sorry. Jus' wanted to sit somewhere bit comfier," he said, quietly.

"Thought this was a cage?" she joked.

He barely smiled. It was brief but definitely there.

"It's fine," she said, sitting beside him. "Have you slept?"

He shook his head. "Nah. Can't sleep."

It was her turn to frown. "Why? What's bothering you?"

His eyes met hers but then he looked back down.

"Daryl?"

"I keep thinking," he started. "About Merle… I mean, I only jus' met up with him again! Now, I don't know if he's even alive…"

Carol knew it was a struggle for Daryl to confess all of this to her. He had not had the best childhood and he never had anyone to put his trust in. That had changed now, he had her so she kept quiet. Urging him to continue with what

He saw his approval to keep going and he did. "He's blood. An' I jus' left him! He could still be alive! He could-"

"Daryl," she whispered, putting a hand on his cheek and turning his face so he was looking at her. He reluctantly turned and she saw how vulnerable he was through his eyes. "He'll be fine. Didn't you tell me that nothing could kill a Dixon but a Dixon?" There it was again. That faint smile. "So, he'll be alright."

Daryl lightly snorted but he smiled nonetheless.

…

"Well, ain't this cosy?"

For one mad moment she thought-speak of the devil- but no. She recognised his stupid drawl anywhere.

"What are you doing?" she asked her hand leaving Daryl face as she stood up. "Rick told you to get back to the other cell block."

Axel shrugged. "He wanted ever'one here plannin' for this Woodbury town attack or somethin'."

"Not now," she said. "And anyway, that wasn't what I asked. Why are you _here?_"

"I just thought I'd check up on ya'," he said, leaning against the door frame. He looked to Daryl. "Good t' see ya back. She's been worried, man."

Daryl stood up and stepped in front of Carol, much like he had done when Shane suggested Sophia was no longer alive. "Well, I am back now so you can go."

"Hey, man, I'm sorry," Axel said, straightening up. "Was just checkin' up on y-"

"You don't need t' do that no more," Daryl interrupted, stepping closer to him. "You don't need t' be anywhere near here. She's told ya to go so go."

Axel stiffened but raised his hands. Carol knew nobody wanted to get into a fight with Daryl.

"Okay. I'm goin'," Axel said, backing out of the cell and walking away.

Daryl grunted. "Never liked 'im. Glad you said somethin'."

Carol looked up at him. She almost opened her mouth to say something but backtracked. His face was tired and he looked worn out. He looked down at her and the corner of his mouth flicked up. It didn't reach his eyes but she'd take it.

"C'mon. Need to go and see what Rick's planned. I thought we'd be under attack by now."

Carol wasn't sure if it was a joke or not but it didn't matter. She followed him eagerly out of the cell block, keeping an eye on him at all times.

…

He felt his rage bubbling to the surface not two minutes after Rick had started talking about defensive strategies.

"Look, we've got a good prison. Strong walls. Good weapons. We can last in this place. It ours-"

"They don't care if the prison is ours or not," Daryl interrupted. "We're not on the best of terms with 'em and now they're gonna want this place even more and us dead." The words hung heavy in the air, he knew. After what had happened to Glenn and himself at Woodbury, he knew that they weren't gonna be giving second chances to them. "It's what's gonna happen, alright? We can't compare to their weapons. I saw 'em running out of the place!"

Rick swallowed but then he said, "What I say stands. We're staying here. Tyreese and Michonne, go up in one guard tower. Look out for anything. Maggie, take Sasha and the others outside. Carl, you go with them-"

Rick was still barking orders when Daryl dragged his hands through his hair and pushed past everyone and back towards the cells.

…

Carol was nervous about following him. She knew how he was when he was angry but he wasn't like that any more, she had convinced herself. Stepping closer to her own cell, she could a bang on the wall. And another. Then again. As she peered into the cell, she saw Daryl cradling his right fist in his left palm. Blood was dripping off his knuckles and his face was contorted with pain.

"Daryl!" she cried, rushing forward and reaching for his hand.

She held his bloody hand in hers and glanced up at him. "Wait here."

Moments later, she returned with some water and a bandage. He snorted when he saw it.

"Shut up," she said.

"We're low on stuff as it is," he said but he allowed her to clean his dirty knuckles and wrap them up.

She had fastened the bandage but she kept hold of his hand. It was strangely comforting to just sit on the bed with Daryl next to her, holding his hand in hers. Their eyes locked for a brief second and she smiled.

"Rick says he wants to speak t' ya," Axel said, appearing at the doorway again.

This next part, Carol hadn't anticipated. Daryl rose slowly from the bed, locking eyes with Axel fiercely. He took three strides towards Axel and stopped when their faces were inches apart.

"I've told ya. This is the last time I'll say it. Stay outta here. I don't wanna see your face."

Carol looked at the confrontation, unsure of what to do.

"Well, I jus' wanted-"

Then Daryl turned away from him, as though his point had been made, then in one quick movement, his left first swung around and caught Axel right on the jaw. The convict stumbled back several shocked steps until he regained his balance and gripped his jaw. He blinked at Daryl who was breathing heavily then scurried away. Daryl turned back to look at Carol whose face was a mix of shock and humour.

…

It was dark now. No threats had been spotted all day. Glenn was slowly healing. Axel had stayed out of his way. The other group were now much more comfortable with staying in the other cell block. All in all, Daryl hadn't expected this level of calmness throughout the prison. It was a more relaxed atmosphere and so he made his way to his perch. He was just getting comfortable when he heard a whimpering in Carol's cell. Frowning, he sat up and made his way into her cell. He knocked on the wall and she leapt up into the sitting position, knife in hand.

"Shit, woman, jus' me!" he said.

Her shoulders relaxed and she wiped the sweat off her brow and rested her head on the wall next to her.

"You okay?" he said, moving closer and sitting on the end of her bed. He was a little uncomfortable with the scenario but he ignored it. He could make out her glassy blue eyes in the dark.

She nodded. "Fine."

"Pfft. What was all that about then?"

"What was all what about?"

Daryl leant forward. "C'mon. What's this about?"

"I had a nightmare," she said. "'Bout you." He stopped. "In Woodbury."

He wasn't sure of what to do. Carol was sitting there with her knees hugged to her chest under her flimsy blanket. Daryl finally sighed and started to untie his boots and he kicked them off. He shrugged off his vest and looked at her through the dark. He knew she was watching him so he walked forward and slid into bed next to her.

"Go t' sleep, woman."


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, ass kicker," he cooed to the little baby in his arms.

"Ass kicker?" Carol asked with a smile.

"What? S' a good name," he defended. He looked back at the baby. "Ya miss me?"

The baby gurgled up at him and Carol smiled. He was sat with baby Judith in his arms and she grasped Daryl's little finger in her tiny hand. He looked the happiest she'd seen him since the day he came back to the prison. Still smiling at Judith, he glanced up at Carol.

"You have any more nightmares last night?"

She shook her head. "No... None."

Daryl nodded. "Good."

At that moment, Rick came in. Daryl handed Judith to Carol and stood up to meet the man.

"We need you up in the guard tower with Tyreese," Rick told him. Daryl grunted and looked back at Carol holding Judith. "You alright?" Rick added.

He nodded. "'M fine." Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, he walked back to where Carol was sitting. "I'll see ya later," he said then walked out of the main room towards the tower.

Carol looked after him. Despite the fact he had said he was fine, Carol knew how he really was. He had told her all about Merle- his own brother- at Woodbury. He had slid into bed with her last night and she had woken up with an arm draped across her waist. As she turned, she noticed he was already awake and staring up at the bunk above him. A sheen of sweat was visible on his forehead but Carol didn't want to say anything to ruin the moment so she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, wishing they could stay in that moment forever.

...

Up in the guard tower, Daryl thought back to this morning. She may not have had nightmares but he definitely had. One had truly haunted him. He had been in the middle of a circle of walkers with Merle and, in one split second, he had shot him through the head so he could get away. He was without a weapon and the thought of killing his own brother had disturbed him. Why had he dreamt that?

"You okay, man?"

Daryl spun around and faced Tyreese. "'M fine."

Tyreese nodded. It looked as though he was thinking. "She seems real nice."

"Who?"

"The woman you were with this mornin'," he said, motioning with his gun to where Carol was stood not far from their cell block with Judith.

Daryl nodded, not sure of what to say.

"So... you 'n' her?..."

There was a pause.

Daryl's eyes widened. "No. Nothin' goin' on."

Tyreese smiled slightly. "Wouldn't mind talkin' to her myself."

Something twisted in Daryl's gut. He knew he had just said that they weren't "a thing" but he was slightly confused as to what they actually were. Daryl frowned and looked at Tyreese. He seemed okay but he wasn't taking any chances.

"She don't know you," was all he could say.

Tyreese glanced at him, clearly confused. "Hey, if she's yours, man, I ain't got a problem. She's yours."

"She ain't mine."

"So you want her to be?"

Daryl stopped. What did he want her to be? He glanced at Tyreese who was still staring at him. "Just leave it," he finally said.

Tyreese shrugged and continued to walk around the guard tower, looking out in the distance for any threats, leaving Daryl to think about Carol and why he didn't have the guts to say anything.

...

It was getting dark and Carol was making food for everyone with their supplies. They wouldn't last that much longer with what they had and, now that there was a bigger group, they were running out fast. She noticed Tyreese come in but not Daryl.

"Is he-"

"Still in the guard tower. Thank you," he said, taking the plate of food from her.

Once she had distributed the food out to everyone and eaten for herself, she took one bowl and started to walk out of the cell block. If she didn't bring him something then he wouldn't even eat. Smiling to herself, thinking of how selfless Daryl really was, she crossed the field into his guard tower. She saw him leaning over the railing, staring off into the distance.

"Hey," she said, opening the door, already knowing she'd caught him off-guard.

He span round but stopped when he saw it was just her. Handing him the bowl, she wrapped her cardigan around herself. It may be hot during the day but at night the cold whipped around them.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Fine."

"Daryl."

He looked at her. "What?" He had stopped eating.

"How're you really?" she asked, eyes scanning him. He seemed worn out.

"Didn't ya listen? I said I'm fine."

"And I said how are you really," she said flatly.

Her tone caught him by surprise and he smirked.

"What?" she asked, stepping closer to look at him.

"Nothin'. An' I am fine."

"Then why were you awake at the crack of dawn this mornin'?" she asked, knowing that it would stun him.

It did the trick and he stepped closer to her. "Look, I had one nightmare, alrigh'? Nothin' big. Everythin's fine."

"Really?" she frowned, crossing her arms. She had had enough of Daryl pretending everything was 'fine' all of the time. She wanted answers and she sure as hell wasn't leaving this guard tower without one.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "My nightmare was about Merle. I shot him to get away from walkers. Hell, I don't even know if he's even alive right now. It just freaked me out, is all. I never want t' do that. He's blood."

Carol took it all in. How much he had opened up to her meant a lot even if he didn't know it. "It's okay. You won't have to," she replied gently.

Daryl looked away and rested himself on the railing. She joined him and stood close so that their arms were touching. Risking it, she stole a glance up at him to see he was frowning and trying to look at something in the distance. Carol tried to follow his gaze and she noticed something- or some_one_- stumbling past the prison and hanging on to the fence frequently.

He looked down at her then back towards the moving figure. "Stay here."

She nodded and watched him exit the guard tower.

...

Daryl was cautious. He didn't know what this was- or who it was. Most of all, he felt concerned. Concerned for Carol and the group. He didn't know why she, above everyone, came into his head first but he shrugged it off and focused on the task at hand. As he crossed over to the gate he was aware that, whoever this was, they were hurt. Badly. He ran to the gate, crossbow held up so he could get a good aim and moved slowly towards the person. Once he got up close, the moon shone a little down on the grounds and onto the new figure. Daryl wavered. He dropped his crossbow. The other man saw him.

"Hey, baby brother."


	5. Chapter 5

"Aren't ya gonna let me in?"

Daryl stared in disbelief at his brother. It couldn't be.

"I saw you- you- they shot at-" Daryl couldn't get his words out.

"I'm alive an' kickin' here, baby bro," Merle said. "Well… not completely." He glanced down at his shoulder that had a bloody hole in it. "So as ya can see, I'm in a bit of a bad state. Wanna invite me in?"

Daryl shook his head. He was confused. There was no way Merle would be gracefully invited back into the prison. Not after what had happened to Glenn. The inner conflict rattled around his brain.

"Hey, ya listenin', Darylena?"

Daryl nodded.

"Well then… unlock these damn gates and let me in!"

Daryl shook his head.

"Why the hell not?" Merle asked angrily.

"Did ya see what you did t' Glenn?" he asked. Finally there were words forming on his tongue.

Merle looked at Daryl through the gate. "Course I did. I was under orders! I had t' do it!"

Daryl still wasn't convinced and he still didn't want to open the gate. He knew it was his brother but he worried. Worried because of the group's- who he now considered like family- reactions to Merle.

"It don't matter," Daryl said quietly. "You ain't gonna be welcome here."

Merle stared at him incredulously. "I'm you're blood! Ain't nothing thicker than blood, little brother!" He paused. "An' if we ain't gonna be welcome here then we gotta go. You saw 'em back at Woodbury. They're plannin' somethin'."

"I know, I jus-"

"You jus' _nothin'_!" Merle spat. "C' mon. We gotta go!"

Daryl sighed. "I can't."

"The hell you mean you-"

At that moment, a walker appeared out of nowhere but Daryl aimed and killed it with his crossbow.

…

Carol had seen the oncoming walker from afar but, having no gun, it was a problem. She saw Daryl staring at the other person behind the gate but couldn't stretch enough to hear. Having seen the walker, she started barreling down the stairs as fast as she could. When she reached the bottom, she saw Daryl take out the walker. She breathed a sigh of relief then noticed the man he was speaking to. Her heart caught in her throat. It couldn't be. At that moment, the man noticed her and they locked eyes.

"Hey, ya got the keys t' unlock this gate?" he shouted to her.

Carol could only stare. Surely Daryl hadn't… No… Of course he hadn't… He couldn't have invited Merle Dixon _in_. Then she saw Daryl staring wide-eyed at her and she realised he was just as scared and uncertain as she was. She crossed over to him quickly, avoiding physical contact whilst Merle was watching.

"Go get Rick," he said quickly, not even looking her in the eyes.

She nodded and took off running as best as she could towards the cell block. Once there, Rick instantly noticed how out of breath she was and stood up, handing Judith to Carl.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Rick said, one hand on her shoulder.

Carol shook her head and drew a breath. "Go outside. Daryl's near the gate. You better hurry."

Rick drew his gun from its holster and took off out of the cell block, slamming the door behind him. Carol moved to go after him but then thought again. She would only be in the way and they probably wouldn't want her there. So, she waited.

…

Daryl was pacing in front of the gate, keeping an eye on the surrounding area to make sure no walkers were near, when he saw Rick racing down the hill towards him. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Merle.

"He can't be here!" Rick spat, pushing past Daryl and holding his gun up in front of Merle from the other side of the fence. "You need to go."

Merle held his hands up, causing him to wince as a burst of pain shot through his shoulder. "Look, man, I'm tryin' t' help ya!"

"The only thing you've done is help drive one of our people into a near coma. You need t' go."

"Sure," Merle said with a smirk. "I'll jus' go back t' Woodbury and let 'em know that I've finally found the famous prison!"

Rick bared his teeth and kneaded his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Like they'll welcome you back after you've been accused of bein' a traitor!"

"They might if I let 'em know about this," Merle said, still gripping the fence.

Rick was angry now. Daryl could tell. He didn't have an option. So far, Woodbury knew they were in a prison. They didn't know which but it wouldn't take a genius to know it was the closest.

"Fine," Rick said through gritted teeth, motioning to Daryl. "Let him in."

Daryl was surprised at Rick's resolve but he finally opened the gate. When Merle entered and Daryl had locked it behind him, he noticed Rick was already halfway back to the cell block probably alerting the others.

…

Carol was feeding Judith when Rick came bursting through the doors looking angrier than he normally did.

"What's the matter?" Carol asked, already worried.

Rick stared at her. "He threatened to go back to Woodbury… I had to let him in or else they would have found us."

Her heart had dropped. She was hoping he had been sent away… Something that would mean their group was better protected. She remembered Merle clearly and they were not fond memories. Minutes after Rick had taken off to Glenn's cell, Daryl and Merle walked through the door. Merle looked as though he was drilling something into Daryl as he was pointing his finger in his face. Daryl noticed her and looked at her for a brief second before he walked off in search of Rick.

"So who here's gonna clean these for me?"

Hershel was looking after Glenn with Maggie and Beth was with Carl and Judith somewhere. She knew it had to be her. Swallowing, she went to get the first aid kit, some water and a bandage. When she returned, Merle was already sat with his shirt off with just his vest on and he was looking at her.

"You jus' gonna stand there?" he asked.

It wasn't aggressive but she jumped all the same and wished Daryl was here with her. She nodded and stood next to him, cleaning the wound and making sure no shrapnel was infecting the wound. He would occasionally wince and grip the table and Carol fought off a smile. Doing this was like provoking a bear.

Merle looked up at her. "Oh shit! You're the woman who used to get beatin's off ya husband!"

The way he had reminded her of Ed made her blink and, as she was stitching his wound, she pulled too tight. He yelped and moved back.

"I'm sorry!" she said frantically, trying to steady him.

He gripped her wrist and she froze. She shut her eyes and waited for a beating. However, that never happened. In that second, Daryl had appeared and he rushed over.

"The hell are you doing?" he asked hurriedly, making Merle freeze.

The question was more for Merle but Carol answered anyway.

"I jumped and pulled too hard- I'm- I'm really sorry," she said, looking at the floor and trying not to cry.

"What the hell did you say?" he asked Merle who was flicking his eyes between the pair.

"Hey, don't look at me! She's the one who-"

Turning to Carol, he said, "I'll get Hershel. Go back to your cell."

She nodded and left Merle and Daryl together.

"Why the hell d'ya care about that old bitch?" she heard Merle say.

Blinking back tears, she made her way back to her cell.


	6. Chapter 6

Carol woke the next morning to the sound of shouts in the main room. She quickly threw her blanket off her and ran down the cells to see a scene of chaos in front of her. Glenn was still wobbly on his feet but that hadn't stopped him from getting out of bed, making his way to the room and seeing Merle lying on the ground with a shabby blanket cast over him. When Glenn realised that he wasn't dreaming, he had grabbed the nearest chair and thrown it, one of the chair legs hitting Merle on his temple. Merle had proceeded to get up and run at Glenn before Rick had pulled him off the other man and Daryl had helped to separate them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?" Glenn shouted.

"Jus' calm down," Rick said. "Let me-"

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Glenn screamed again.

Daryl was pushing Merle back by his chest whilst eying the two men who looked ready to pounce on each other and tear the other apart.

"Glenn! Let me explain!" Rick snapped.

Carol was watching the scene from the corner, ready to move if something happened. Maggie, closely followed by Hershel on his crutches (who both looked as though they had just woken up) and Carl and Beth who held Judith, burst through the gate and crossed over to the scene.

Maggie was quick to notice Merle being restrained by Daryl. "What the hell's he doin' here?" she asked, raising her gun.

"Can everyone jus' calm down and let me explain!" Rick shouted, finally losing all of his patience. Everyone in the room froze. "Okay. He-" pointing to Merle, "threatened to go back t' Woodbury and tell them about this prison. Do you_ really_ want that?"

Nobody spoke and Carol could feel the tension in the air. The tension only broken by Glenn muttering "bastard" and hobbling back to his cell with the support of Maggie who threw a dirty look over her shoulder towards Merle. Hershel hobbled after them and Carl and Beth, who was holding Judith, backed out as quietly as they had come in. Merle was standing there, blood dripping from his temple, letting himself relax.

"I told ya, ya wouldn' be welcome here," Daryl muttered.

"Relax, Darylena," Merle said, patting his brother on the shoulder. "Everyone will warm up to me eventually." He smirked.

Daryl sighed and looked as though he was worn out from fighting all the time. Carol was about to step forward when Rick interrupted.

"Daryl, go and check on the other group in the other cell block. See what they're doin'. Tell them Tyreese and Sasha can sort out whoever's keeping watch today. I'll head over in a minute."

He nodded and left the room. Rick looked over at Carol for the first time and Merle followed his gaze.

"Oh hey! Nice o' ya to drop in! You gonna clean this up for me?" he asked, pointing to his temple. Carol's stomach twisted remembering yesterday. "No stitchin' this time."

Rick left the room to go to the guard tower and that left her alone with Merle. She nodded and started to bathe the wound. Despite being nearly blinded in one eye, Glenn was a good aim. Carol smirked.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

She paused then she shrugged. "It caught you right on your temple. Surprised it didn't knock you unconscious."

Merle laughed. "We're livin' in a zombie apocalypse, woman! Nobody got time for bein' unconscious!"

Carol nodded and considered what he said when his next question caught her by surprise.

"So what's goin' on between you an' my baby brother?"

She stared at him.

"I mean, no offence, but you're not usually the type for us rednecks," he laughed. "An' I woulda thought you wanted somethin' different to a wife beater!"

"Are you..." Carol stood back and looked at him. "Are you suggesting Daryl hits women?"

Merle snorted. "Nice catchin' on!"

"Daryl has never hit anyone in this camp. _Ever_." She stressed the last word.

He frowned. "What... you mean t' tell me that he ain't-"

"No."

Merle raised his eyebrows in surprise. "He's always been the sweet one. Shoulda known." Then he looked at her again. "And ya never answered me. What's goin' on between the two o' ya?"

There was no escaping the question this time and her heart was telling her to say something but her brain took full control. "Nothin'. Nothin's going on," she said.

Merle nodded and felt his forehead. He looked up at her then back down at his feet. "Thanks," he said quietly. "An' I always thought that husband o' yours was a bit of a bastard."

Carol knew it wasn't much but she'd take it. A thanks off Merle Dixon? That would go down in history.

...

Daryl was walking back to the cell block feeling more tired than usual. Merle's return had been hectic and- the thought crept into his mind out of nowhere- he thought about how much more peaceful it would have been if he hadn't come back. But Merle's words still hung over him. "Ain't nothin' thicker than blood". He sighed again and pushed open the door to the cell block. Merle was sat inside looking at Carl and Beth who were holding Judith and feeding her on the other side of the room, keeping their distance. As much as he wanted to, Daryl couldn't just go and hold Judith in front of his brother. What would he think? More to the point, why did Daryl care? He didn't know the answer to the question so he sat down across from Merle.

"What's 'er name?"

Daryl looked at his older brother. "Whose?"

"The woman who was patchin' me up before."

"Carol."

Merle nodded. "Says you never hit anyone!"

"That's cause I haven't."

"Not anyone in this camp, here?"

"No."

"So what about her then?" Merle asked.

"Who?" Daryl asked, seeing a question about his and Carol's relationship on the horizon.

"Don't play dumb with me, brother," Merle snapped, looking at him. "Carol. The woman who says there ain't nothin' goin' on between the two of ya."

For some reason, Daryl felt a little... What was the word? Upset? Like he'd just been punched in the gut. He found the words to say, "That's cause there ain't."

Merle snorted. "Jesus! Anyone can see it except the two o' ya!" Daryl noted that he felt a little better. "So what the hell are ya gonna do about it?"

"Nothin'." Daryl felt quite sheepish talking about this to his brother.

"Christ's sake," Merle said, getting to his feet and crossing to his makeshift bed.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

...

That night, Carol was staring at the bunk above her. The days had started to get quite long and boring so she would take any opportunity she could to go on a supply run or go on a walk around the grounds. Not everyone was happy with that. She would often see Daryl from the cell block looking over her as she walked aimlessly around the field. There was never any danger so she wondered what he was actually doing. She was just about to drift off when she heard someone at the door to her cell.

"You okay?"

It was Daryl.

"I'm fine," she replied. Silence. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and looking at him. There were bags under his eyes that were becoming a permanent addition to his face.

"Nothin', I was jus'... Jus' checkin' on ya."

He didn't move so she crossed her legs and leant forward, beckoning him to sit down. She saw him hesitate but he finally moved, pulling the gate across behind him and sitting on the bed. He pulled his boots off and leant back against the wall.

Carol leant against the wall sitting up straight next to him so their arms brushed and so she looked down over him. She'd missed this. "You can sleep, y'know? You can't keep awake and running forever, you need rest."

He glanced at her sideways and then his head dropped and fell on her shoulder. Carol was stunned at first but then they both relaxed. Daryl's cheek was pressed against her shoulder and, without causing too much movement, she propped a pillow up against her back and pulled her blanket over them and rested her head on top of his. Within minutes, Daryl's breathing slowed and his eyes fell closed.


	7. Chapter 7

When Carol woke early the next morning, nearly everything ached. However, when she tried to move, she felt a large weight on her. As she looked down, she saw that, some time in the night, they had both slipped down the wall and Carol was lying at an odd angle with Daryl resting still on her shoulder but lying partly across her. She smiled at him snoring lightly. Then something seemed to disturb him. His grip on her top tightened and a frown cut down his forehead. He turned his head into her shoulder more and thrashed weakly.

"Daryl?" she whispered.

Another thrash.

"Daryl?" A little bit louder.

His eyes flew open and he pulled her in tighter before gazing around his surroundings and realising where he was. The grip on her top slackened and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. She sat up with him.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly, letting him wake up first.

He nodded then looked at her. "Are you?"

She nodded back before a crash cut off her next words. Daryl was immediately alert, pulling on his boots and picking up his crossbow. Making his way out of the cell, she closely followed whilst straightening her top taking out the creases left in by Daryl's grip. He checked over his shoulder and made sure she was close behind him before continuing. Once there, she saw Axel and Merle advancing on Tyreese and another man from his group. Carol groaned and Daryl heard, looking hard at the scene in front of him.

"Stay here," he told her before making his way over.

Carol nodded. That was really all she could do as she watched the scene unfold.

"You wanna lay off us!" Merle shouted, pointing at Tyreese.

"Well you wanna leave our people alone! _Especially Sasha!"_ Tyreese stressed, towering over Merle.

Carol recognised what must have happened and she groaned again. Merle, Axel or both had probably tried it on with Sasha.

Axel stepped in. "C'mon, mister, all we have here is a seventeen year old an' her older sister but she's got her a boyfriend an-"

"There's an older woman but my little brother here has his sights set on 'er," Merle interrupted.

Carol's throat tightened.

"Just leave it," Daryl said as he stepped in. "Jus' go back to your own cells," he added, looking at Tyreese and the other man. "We'll sort this out."

Tyreese pointed into Daryl's chest and said, "Make sure it doesn't happen again!"

"Hey, man, you can't just walk up to him an' do that!" Merle said, pushing Daryl out of the way by his shoulder.

"It's fine," Daryl reassured him. "Just go back-"

"No, it _ain't _fine! You watch ya manners!"

"I'll watch my manners when you leave our group alone!"

Merle's mouth twitched into a snarl and, before Carol could process what was happening, his left fist swung across and hit Tyreese squarely on his jaw. The man from the other group of survivors threw a punch back and a brawl started. Carol was stood there numbly until a fist collided with Daryl's cheekbone. She snapped out of it and ran over but the men were pushing and a way in was impossible.

"STOP IT!" she shrieked, quite unaware of where her voice came from.

The four men, with Daryl in the middle slightly unconscious, stopped still and gazed at her.

"So you do have a voice," Merle laughed.

Carol pushed past them all and took Daryl's arm, leading him away just as Rick and Glenn burst through into the room followed by Maggie. Daryl resisted her grip for a short time until (with his hand on his cheekbone) he walked with her.

She glanced at Rick on her way out and said, "There was a fight. Axel and Merle tried to…" she trailed off. "With Sasha."

Rick sighed then looked at Daryl. "Is he okay?"

"Fine," Daryl grumbled.

…

He didn't need to be babied and yet Carol was standing over him checking his face for bruising and cuts back in her cell.

"I'm _fine_," he said, reaching out and placing his hands firmly on her hip bones that stuck out.

He briefly saw her face flush red and then he removed his hands. It looked at though she let out a huge breath.

"Oh," she said, slightly blushing again. "I have something."

Daryl frowned. "So why are you telling m-"

He stopped as she reached under her mattress and brought out his poncho he had picked up in a house they had settled in for all of thirty minutes.

"Thanks," he said, taking it from her. He paused. "Why'd you have it?"

She swallowed and looked at him.

"When I thought you weren't going to come back… I…" she trailed off but he continued to stare at her until she continued, not meeting his eyes. "I went up to your perch and it was there so I took it."  
"Why?" he asked.

She sighed then said, "I thought I wasn't gonna see you again. I didn't want someone else to get a hold of it an' throw it out."

Daryl looked down and the corner of his mouth flicked up quickly in a smile. He felt oddly happy at what she had said then he thought back to what Merle had said yesterday. What did he want from Carol? Daryl cast his eyes up and down Carol's body and then at her face. Despite what others said, he always felt she had quite a pretty face. He smirked when she had told him what Axel had said about her being a lesbian because of her hair.

"Daryl?"

He focused back in after completely been lost in thought about her looks. Saying that, looks where nothing big to him.

"What?" he asked as she sat next to him.

"Does your face hurt?" she asked, touching his cheek lightly.

He thought then shook his head. "No. 'S fine."

They were staring at each other and Daryl only noticed it after a minute or so had passed by. The she sighed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Are you happy with Merle here?" she asked. Her eyes spoke volumes.

Daryl shrugged. "What can I do?"

"You could ask him to-"

"No. I can't! He's blood! I ain't just gonna ask him to leave! I jus' got him back! I can't help that he's a dick! I wish he was dif'rent but he ain't! He's my brother an I…" He stopped, realising how worked up he was.

He was on his feet and stood in the middle of the cell. Carol slowly left the bed to stand in front of him. She removed his hands from where they were kneading his eyes and placed them back at his sides. Her hands felt surprisingly warm and they didn't leave his own. Daryl wasn't used to opening up to _anyone_ but he had slowly come to the realisation that he trusted Carol. Over the winter and through their time here she had looked out for him and listened. They had told each other stories, laughed and maybe even flirted a little. Daryl looked down at her then swallowed.

_What the hell, _he thought.

Before she could start speaking again, his hands moved to her face, bringing her face close to his. He paused slightly then pressed their lips together.


	8. Chapter 8

_thank you for the reviews so far! They're really appreciated! I did a bigger paragraph on what Carol was thinking, hope you like it. _

* * *

Carol felt slightly on a high for the rest of the day. His kiss had left her feeling elated. If that's what she got out of months and months worth of needling down his emotional barrier, she would definitely carry on. That afternoon, she was preparing the food for both her own group and the other when she realised something. They were running out fast. Trying not to let panic grip her, she carefully divided the food she had already prepared and distributed it between everyone. When she got a moment, she pulled Rick aside.

"There's not gonna be enough food to last us the rest of the week," she said quietly, not wishing to startle everyone else.

Rick nodded and, seeing Carol whispering to him, Daryl came over to stand with them.

"What's up?" he asked.

"We're running out of food."

Daryl looked at the remaining three boxes then nodded and said, "We'll need to go on a supply run." He looked at her. "You comin'?"

She was slightly surprised that he'd asked her to go with him but she nodded and smiled at him. He gave her a slight smile back then moved to go and sit with Merle. Carol saw the older Dixon give Daryl a nudge and then he laughed- his mouth wide open and tilting back on his seat. She smiled at the brothers but something was still stuck in the back of her mind. Would he end up leaving with Merle eventually? Would he really leave her? Carol swallowed and forced herself not to think about it.

...

Later, he found her in her cell and leaned against the door frame.

"You comin'?" he asked.

She nodded and picked up her knife. He handed her a gun that she slung across her body and gave him a short smile.

"Let's go then."

He saw her stretch out for the keys to one of the cars and he snorted.

"You think we're takin' a car?"

Carol grinned. "Oh right," she said, following him out to the fields.

Daryl hopped on his bike which hadn't been used- he hoped, thinking about Axel- for weeks. It made him smile as he settled on it again and he motioned at her to follow. She hesitated at first but slowly swung her leg across and got comfortable behind him. Daryl knew she never felt safe hanging onto the bar at the back so it didn't surprise him when her hands snaked around his front and gripped together. For the second time in a minute, he smiled. Kicking down the support pedal, he started the bike and they were off.

...

Carol loved being on the back of his bike. It felt so free and wild- something she never was with Ed. The excitement and adrenaline that came with being on the back of Daryl Dixon's motorbike with him made her feel like nothing was wrong in the world. No walkers existed. No apocalypse. But, if the apocalypse hadn't happened, would she have met Daryl? Probably not. Wouldn't she still be stuck in an abusive relationship with her dead husband? Yes. It was a selfish way of thinking, she knew. Then another thought came about. Something she thought about every day since it happened. Sophia would have still been alive. She wouldn't have been bitten. They would still be at home. Yes, she would have been beaten but wasn't that better off than her being dead? Was Sophia dying her punishment for marrying someone like Ed and giving birth to a little girl, knowing she would be treated just like her mother? These questions flew around her head and remained unanswered so she rested her forehead in between Daryl's shoulder blades, shut her eyes and squeezed him tighter. He was the only thing she had left and she wasn't going to lose him. Not after everything.

They arrived at a deserted shop off a main road and were instantly on their guard.

"We need baby formula as well!" she gasped.

Daryl nodded. "I'll scope around the place. Go on inside an' see what there is."

Carol slowly pushed open the door, trying to remain quiet but forceful at the same time. Once the door had budged open, she edged inside. The entire shop was only lit by the light forcing it's way in through two small windows at the front but, towards the back, it looked eerily dark. She brought out a torch and pointed it towards the shelves that held baby items. After she had stuffed five cans of it in her bag, she heard a noise.

"Daryl?" she called out.

No reply. Her heart quickened.

"Da-"

At that moment, a walker stumbled towards her. It looked as though it had already been shot with an arrow but it was still stuck in its back. With all the bravery she could conjure up, Carol leapt forward and impaled it's head with her knife. Quickly removing it, she ran back outside of the shop and straight into something. She shrieked.

"Jesus, woman!" he said, acting like he hadn't jumped as well. "Jus' me!"

"Where the hell were you?" she asked, her voice shrill.

He frowned then looked at her. "Are you hurt?"

"I... No- What?"

"Are ya _hurt_?" he asked, his hands turning her by her shoulders so he could check all over her body.

Carol was stunned but let herself be checked over. "I'm fine! Where were you?"

"There were three out back. One musta slipped past me," he said, frowning.

Her face softened. "Hey, it's alright. I'm fine, see!"

She demonstrated by throwing her arms out wide and turning around 360 degrees, happy when she met his smiling face again. He looked in the best mood he had been in for a while.

"C'mon, I'll check with ya this time," he said, making his way back into the shop.

...

They came out with dozens of canned food tins they had found in the back of the shop. Nobody could have been there since it all started. As they were enjoying what they had found, his ears picked up something. It sounded like multiple car engines. Well, nobody from the prison was coming out to find them. It had only been an hour or two.

"Get back in there," he said, pushing her back into the shop.

They crouched down inside and he kept a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place, as he just peeked out of the window. The sight terrified him. There were three cars and looked like they belonged to the people of Woodbury and they were slowly coming to rest outside the shop.

"Shit," he whispered. "Go back in the supply room."

Still crouching, they made their way into the room. Daryl thought about his bike outside and hoped that they wouldn't bother. Just as the thought entered his mind, he heard voices.

"Hey, look at this bike! Someone try and find the keys!" one person shouted.

His heart was racing as he felt his pocket, checking that he still had them. He stood with his back against the wall next to the door with Carol on his right doing the same. His arm was keeping her in place as is locked over her stomach. Her own pulse was quick, he could tell. He knew she wasn't stupid but if he moved his arm it would feel like she wouldn't be in his control and something could happen. There were sounds coming from inside the shop now. The sounds of people rooting through whatever they could get their hands on.

"There's a room at the back, here!" someone called.

Daryl felt like he was going to be sick. If they came in here, there was no way he could defend himself and Carol. There was too many of them. His hand strayed down her arm and he grasped her hand in his, terrified that this would be their last moment. He felt her forehead lean on his shoulder and he wished he could move to comfort her and hold her.

The door burst open. His hand gripped Carol's harder.

"Shit! There's nothin' even in here! What a waste 'a time!" a man shouted from right next to where they stood, not even coming into the room.

Grumbles and shouts came from the shop and he heard the cars at the front start up again. They both visibly relaxed and exhaled deeply. He peeked out into the now deserted shop, took her hand and made a run for his bike.

...

Once they were back at the prison, it had gone dark. He pushed inside and made his way into the cells. Instead of following straight after him, Carol had sorted the food, arranged it into piles and given Carl the formula for Judith. She ignored everyone else and rushed into her own cell to see Daryl stood in the middle of it. As soon as he saw her, he rushed forward and grabbed her face, kissing her greedily. She went with it, gripping his shirt at the back and pulling him in and kissing him back.

"Thought we weren't gonna-"

She stopped him. "We're fine. Everything's fine." She stepped back and attempted to turn around again in her little dance but was cut off by him wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her.

Her hands drifted up into his hair and he pulled back again to kiss her, thankful they were both still here.


	9. Chapter 9

The threat from Woodbury was slowly dwindling down in everyone's minds. They hadn't heard anything since the day he'd returned trying to get them to leave. It didn't bother him much with Carol now occupying his mind most of the time. He wasn't sure where the needing her came from or how the hell it had even developed. He always thought of himself as quite alone and he didn't have a problem with that. The thing was, he had never had a real relationship before. There were no girlfriends or anything like that. Only the time his dad had taken him to a bar full of hookers to "make him a man". It was different with Carol. She was sweet and nice and he was afraid of saying or doing something wrong in case it upset her. When the hell had that started? He had become aware of it when Axel had tried to speak to her and there was that feeling... Jealousy. He could try and try to ignore it but it wouldn't go. Then there was Tyreese. He had made him think about what he really wanted from her. And then there was yesterday. When they nearly got found by the people from Woodbury, he had been terrified. Terrified because that could have been the last time they were together and he didn't want that to happen. So, back at the prison, he was trying to make up for it by kissing her as often as he could and spending time with her. In private, of course. He still didn't feel comfortable with public displays of affection. Especially with his brother there. Today he was really trying Daryl's patience.

"Hey, Darylena," he called. "You not got any cards or booze round here so we can get shit faced and play some poker?"

"No. We ain't got those luxuries," he replied shortly.

"We should go out an' see if we could get any. Bored isn't the word right now, little brother!"

"Well, get your ass up on the guard tower," Daryl snapped, getting increasingly frustrated with Merle's moaning.

"Oh, I'm sure you'd love that so you could go back t' makin' out with Mary Sue!"

Daryl's face was on fire and Axel had chosen that moment to come back into the room to join in with Merle's loud, irritating laughter.

"Would you like me to check your shoulder?" came a small voice.

The three men instantly whipped around and faced Carol who was looking at Merle. The laughter stopped and Daryl calmed down. Merle grinned.

"Nah. It's fine. See-" he said, attempting to wave his arm around but wincing. Carol made to walk over to him but he stopped her. "It don't need to be checked!"

"It could get infec-"

"Hell, we're all infected!" Merle laughed and Axel joined in.

Carol glanced at Daryl, who nodded, and then made her way back to her cell.

"Ya didn't have to be rude," Daryl murmured, more for assuring himself that he had at least tried to defend her.

"Oh, shut up and grab some keys. I fancy an outing. I'm freaking bored," Merle whined.

Unable to take it anymore, Daryl agreed and went back to her- or _their_- cell to tell her he would be leaving for a few hours.

...

She was sorting through her clothes when she heard some shuffling at the door of her cell.

"Er... I'm goin' out with Merle. Tryin' to shut him up from his constant whinin' for a bit."

Carol stopped and looked at him. Fear tightened around her chest. Yeah, that was fear. Definitely. What if he never came back? What if Merle planned to take him out and then persuade him to leave with him? What if-

"Hey," he said, stepping closer. "I'm comin' back."

Carol laughed weakly. _Where have you heard that before? _A voice in the back of her mind crept up on her. _What did he say to you? Stay safe. Then you thought he was dead. _She shut her eyes and blacked out the voice.

"Do you promise?" she asked, looking up at him and fiddling with the edge of his vest.

He gave her a slight smile. "D'you think I'd leave after all the trouble I went through t' get back?"

Carol shrugged but she smiled. "Do you promise?"

"Course."

"No, say it."

"What?"

"Say, 'I promise you, Carol'."

He chuckled under his breath. "I promise you, Carol."

She was satisfied with that and she cupped his cheek with one hand and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. Carol felt slightly better after he had promised, silently cursing herself for not making him do that last time.

...

They had taken a car. Daryl would be damned if he let Merle take the bike and being made to sit at the back of him or the other way around. Neither were comfortable with either possibility so a car was the better option by far. Another thing Daryl wasn't comfortable with was letting Merle drive so, with some force in his voice, he had said he was driving.

"Shit, calm down. Alrigh' you get t' drive," Merle had grumbled, sliding into the passenger seat.

They made their way down a main road and too many side roads to count but eventually they found themselves at a bar.

"Pull over an' see what's inside there," Merle instructed, pointing at the run down place.

After a few arguments along the way, Daryl wasn't in the mood for any more so he sighed and decided to check it out. The street was deserted and, opening the door to the bar, he found there were no walkers inside either. Merle nearly jumped out of joy as he found Southern Comfort and other whiskeys.

"Must be my lucky day, little brother!" he said, holding up the bottles.

Daryl could hardly repress a smile so he took the bottles and started to load them in his bag. After a while, they had finished scoping out the bar and had even found a few cards that had probably been used for some drunken game of poker. Then they both stopped and listened. What sounded like a race between multiple cars had disrupted the silence and the brothers looked out to the road. But it wasn't coming from that side. They made their way silently to the back of the bar and Daryl threw open the door. There were cars. And a lot of them. At least ten. All filled with men from Woodbury and weapons. The cars all rolled to a stop and they all got out. Daryl's heart skipped a beat. He could hear their shouts from where they were.

"There isn't any prisons round here! Why the hell are we still lookin'?"

"There's one near here and we can't stop lookin'. We can't even go back until we find it, Governor says!"

"I'm sure it was up here. Looks like a massive tower! Pretty big too!"

Daryl swore under his breath and Merle looked stunned next to him as they watched the men shout and look around.

"Hang on! What road's this?"

Someone checked a map and shouted the answer.

"Oh, shit!" a surprised voice shouted. "It's up round here!"

Daryl didn't need to listen again. He grabbed Merle by his shirt and pulled him to the front of the bar, checked the surroundings for other possible members of the large group, and ran for the car. It started up and he began the drive back to the prison. Thoughts of Carol, Judith, Rick and the rest of them forced his foot down on the accelerator harder.


	10. Chapter 10 Part 1

_Part One_

* * *

The drive back had physically pained Daryl's foot. At times he would have glanced over at Merle to see his eyes wide and occasionally flicking across to his brother who- in a normal world- would have been arrested for how fast he was going.

"We can't go in the proper way," Merle said over the engine.

Daryl looked across at him and eased up on the pedal slightly.

"'The hell are we gonna get in?!"

"When I was in prison, there's nearly always a back entrance, ain't there?"

Daryl nodded and thought. They hadn't checked the back way but he could bet that there was one. They'd have to drive round and try to find a way in. He kept his eyes on the road until the prison was in sight. He drove around the outside fence, through the occasional walker that drifted in front of the car, and pulled to a stop when they were round the back. Slamming the door behind him, he grabbed his cross bow and ran through a broken down wall.

"Wait up!" Merle called. "You don't know what could be in there!"

Daryl halted. He knew there would probably be walkers in this part of the prison so he needed to be on his guard or else he'd be dead before he could reach her. They made it through the prison into their own cell block and burst through the doors to the main room.

"Daryl?" Carol asked, standing up. "What is it?"

He ran over to her and grabbed her arm. "We need t' go… now."

"Daryl, what's happened?" Rick raced over.

"We heard 'em. In town. There was a dozen cars all with armed men in 'em. They've figured out were the prison is and they're comin' here now. We need t' go."

Just as Rick was about to say something, Tyreese, Sasha and the other two members of their group came through the doors.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Rick asked.

"There's loads of cars an' men outside the walls. They're comin' here."

Rick nodded. "Okay, we need guns, ammo an-"

"Rick! You're not listenin'! We can't defend this, damn it!" Daryl shouted.

The man regarded Daryl for half a second before he turned back to Tyreese and nodded. Everyone, including Axel and Michonne who hadn't said much to him since her arrival, got whipped into action leaving Daryl stood on his own at the side.

"Daryl," Rick said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "We need y-"

Rage flared up inside Daryl at Rick's stubbornness and he grabbed the man by the lapels and held him up against the wall.

"Anythin' happens to any of us," Daryl whispered, "It's on you."

Rick swallowed and nodded. "Fine."

Still angry, he released Rick and took off towards his cell he shared with Carol to find his other guns.

…

She looked after Daryl and was worried. More than anything, she wanted them to leave and be safe. She wanted to leave with him right now. But she knew that couldn't happen. Daryl would stay here with Rick and the group before he left with her. Against her better judgement, she followed him to her cell and gingerly stepped inside to where he was slamming cartridges inside the guns.

"Daryl?"

He whipped around but he seemed to relax when he saw it was only her.

"Hey," he sighed.

Carol stepped forward and embraced him by throwing her arms around his neck. "Daryl," she repeated.

He hugged her back around her waist and tighter as though he was trying to calm himself. His breathing was heavy as he relaxed into the hug.

"It's gonna be alrigh'. Don't worry. S'alrigh'," he whispered into her shoulder with one hand through her short hair, trying to sooth her.

Carol's thoughts were flying around her head. She knew that he would fight and there so many fears that threatened to take hold of her. But she had to stay calm. There was no way Hershel could fight… or Beth. She didn't think Carl would be let out onto the battlefield but her main priority was Daryl. What would he do? Yes, he was skilled but that didn't stop Woodbury from capturing him.

"I'm gonna be fine, ya hear?" he said, pulling back and looking at her.

Carol nodded. She didn't want to speak. Her voice would crack and betray her. She had to stay strong.

"I jus' want you t' stay safe. Like I told ya last time."

"You need to do that too," she whispered.

Daryl snorted. "I'm gonna be fine. We're all gonna be fine. Don't worry."

Carol nodded and pressed herself against his chest again, wishing she could stay there forever with no threats surrounding them.

"DARYL!" Rick shouted from the main room.

Gunshots had started outside and her heart dropped. She looked up at him thinking that this could be the last time they saw each other. _No, stop thinking like that! _A voice at the back of her head scolded her. _He's going to be fine! _Quickly, she took his face in her hands and kissed him. It was only short and he soon pulled away. With one last look at her, he was gone. The emptiness started to creep around her but she couldn't pay attention to that now. Beth peaked around her door with Judith in her arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Carol nodded and wiped at her face, forcing herself to be strong. She beckoned Beth into her cell and Carl and Hershel soon followed.

…

Outside was in chaos. Tyreese, Sasha, and their group were huddled together behind a wall for defence. Bullets were flying everywhere. Maggie and Glenn were behind a car shooting towards the vehicles, probably enjoying the last few hours together. Daryl cursed himself. That was no way of thinking but he still felt stupid. He was fighting a war they were not going to win. Merle and Axel were behind a guard tower and Rick was reloading his gun again. Daryl came to crouch beside him.

"Where's Carl?" Rick asked.

"Inside. With Carol."

Rick paused. "I'm sorry. I just want to keep this place. It's the first place we've settled in for a while an-"

Another round of bullets.

"I jus' wanna stay here for a while. I want everyone-"

Another round.

"Safe."

"Well, we ain't safe now," Daryl replied, keeping down the anger in his voice.

Rick didn't know what to say, Daryl could tell, so he kept his head down and kept firing. He saw the Governor step out of one of the cars with a bandage over one eye. It gave him a sort of satisfaction. Then Andrea stepped out of the passenger side. Daryl had only seen her briefly try to defend him at Woodbury but he didn't know what had happened now until she pulled her gun out with a sigh and started shooting.

…

They heard loud gunfire outside. Carol sighed and glanced at their sparse food supplies in their cell then at Judith, Beth, Hershel and… Oh no. Where was Carl? She glanced around and then ran into the other cells. Great. Her only job for Lori and she loses him. Cursing herself, she went back to the main room with the others.

"I need to go out there," she said.

Hershel looked at her. "We need to stay here."

"I can shoot!" she insisted. "I'm going out to look for Carl!"

"He's gone?" Beth cried.

Carol nodded.

"Well then I'm-"

"No, you're not!" Hershel growled. "We're stayin' here with Judy."

Beth obeyed her father and sat back down, nodding at Carol. Carol smiled bravely and picked up her gun. She snuck out to the battle field and instantly a bullet whizzed past her. Her heart leapt out of her chest and she crouched behind the guard tower.

"Well, who let you out?"

She heard the drawl from behind her and turned to face Axel and Merle.

"I can shoot. I need to be here!"

Merle faced her with a smile and said, "Well, look at you!"

She felt pride surging up in her but it didn't last for too long. The guard tower was assaulted with bullets and they froze behind it. Axel stepped out and a bullet went straight through his forehead. Carol screamed and tried to rush forward before Merle grabbed the back of her top and yanked her back just before another shower of bullets raced past.

"'The hell were ya doin'?" he snapped. "Ya think my little brother wants to go through you dyin' as well?"

Carol hadn't thought about that but she focused on getting her breathing back to normal.

"Get back inside!" he shouted to her.

Carol scampered quickly back inside to the main room but, from the doorway, she saw two men with guns pointed at Beth, with little Judy in her arms, and Hershel.

Beth was crying and holding onto Judith tightly.

Carol's heart was in her throat.

No...

Beth looked up and met her eyes.

No...

Hershel looked down at the girl next to him and placed a hand over her own.

No.

Two gunshots sounded in the cell block. Both bodies dropped to the ground with a thud and Judy rolled onto the floor, her cries mingled with Carol's own as she left the room and vanished into the next cell block.


	11. Chapter 10 Part 2

_Part Two_

* * *

This fight wasn't going to be won. Not by them anyway. Daryl glanced over his shoulder to where Merle and Axel were located to be met with the sight of Axel lying on the ground and a small pool of blood underneath him. He ripped his eyes away and forced himself to focus and rid all thoughts of Carol out of his mind. A bullet whizzed past his ear but it came from behind. He turned and shot a man through his head with an arrow. He fell hard onto the ground. The other aimed but Rick aimed and fired. The other one fell. Daryl stopped. They had come from behind. They must have got in through the back entrance. That must mean… They'd come through the cell blocks. His heart stopped.

"Rick! They came through the back!" he shouted.

The ex- sheriff turned to face him. "Shit! Beth, Hershel, CARL!"

"DAD!"

Daryl turned and looked down at the boy running towards them. He kept his head down through the gunfire and crouched beside them.

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" Rick snapped.

"I wanted to help!" he insisted.

Rick glanced down at his son and then back up and Daryl.

"Go and check in the cell block! Make sure they're safe!"

Daryl didn't need telling twice. He took off flying up towards the cell block, attempting to shield himself from flying bullets and debris. He threw open the doors with a bang and looked around. Two bodies lay dead on the floor amongst a crying baby. Daryl swallowed a lump in his throat and made his way over. He knelt down and turned one of the bodies over. Beth. Her face was pale and two tear tracks ran down her face. He turned over Hershel next and ran a hand down his face and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he picked up Judith and carried her over to her cot.

"I'm sorry," he said, almost choking on the words. "We'll come back for ya if we can." He looked down at her again, his thumb lightly brushing against her soft cheek. "I'm sorry."

Then he looked around. Where the hell was Carol? He ran into all of the cells, up on his perch and on the second level.

"Oh, where the fuck are you?" he growled to himself, forcing away tears.

…

She kept running until her legs gave out. She should have stayed. She had a gun. She could have done something. _Anything. _Her knees gave way and she slumped down on the floor and cried until she physically couldn't anymore. Those two bodies were on her. The guilt was crushing. Finally, she calmed down and rose of the floor again. She wiped away the dried tears on her face and swallowed down the lump in her throat. She was done crying for a lifetime. It couldn't happen anymore. With the need to fend for herself, she gripped her gun tightly and made to move. Two more men appeared down the corridor and, before they could even reach for their guns, she shot them both. They dropped just like Beth and Hershel had but she felt no remorse. They had killed her friends. Or two similar men. Carol sighed. She remembered when it was just threats from the dead that hung over them all day, every day. Now it was threats from the living too. She stepped over the two men and started to run back to the field of chaos.

…

He cursed to himself again. She wasn't anywhere in this cell block. He ran into the next cell block and ran straight into someone. Instantly, his gun was poised. As was her own.

"Where the hell have you been?" he shouted, hugging her close and dropping his weapon.

Her arms came around his middle and tightened. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"'The hell are ya sorry for?"

"I let… I wasn't there… Hershel and Beth… Judith… Where's Carl?"

Her voice was breaking and fresh tears had fallen down her face. Noticing how broken she was, Daryl snapped.

"We're goin'. C'mon. We ain't gonna win this," he said, taking her hand.

Carol nodded and he felt safer. He felt that she was safer and more comforted knowing she was alive.

They stepped back outside.

"RICK!" he bellowed.

The man turned and noticed them both.

"WE NEED TO GO! WE AIN'T WINNIN' THIS!"

Rick looked around. He looked at Maggie, Glenn, Merle, Michonne, Tyreese, Sasha and Carl. The others out of the separate group had been killed not an hour ago. Realisation seemed to smack him in the face and he shouted for a retreat.

"WE NEED TO GO NOW!" he called. "EVERYONE GET OUT!"

They retreated back through their cell block and out of the knocked down wall at the back. Along the way, they slung bags of supplies and carried guns held out in front of them. Daryl's hand had an iron grip on Carol's and he had no intention of letting go. He'd keep her safe. Out of the back, they saw a car with three men surrounding it. Quickly taking advantage of how oblivious they were, they shot down two of them and continued running. One got to his feet after they had stopped firing and aimed his gun. Daryl heard a shrill cry from next to him and his grip almost faltered. Her face was a mask of pain as she grasped the right side of her stomach. Red stained her shirt from the inside and he stopped running. Tyreese shot the man dead and rushed over.

"RICK!" Daryl shouted, catching Carol as she fell.

The smaller group stopped in their tracks and turned.

"Shit," he cursed. "No, no, no!"

Another round of shouts echoed from the front of the prison and vehicles started up again.

"We need t' go!"

"She ain't dead!" Daryl cried.

Rick looked down at Carol who was paling fast.

"I'm okay. I can walk. It'll be fine," she mumbled, wincing as she said it.

Daryl grabbed her arm and adjusted it over his shoulders and picked her up.

"Keep goin'," he growled to the group who all stared at him. "KEEP GOIN'!"

They all hesitated but kept running and running through the forest. Tyreese lead the way followed by Michonne and Sasha. Rick, Carl and Merle ran next. Then came Daryl carrying an increasingly limp and wounded Carol in his arms.

"I ain't gonna lose you again," he whispered. "You're gonna be alrigh'. Promise me."


	12. Chapter 11

_Damn it, _he cursed to himself, _why hadn't he made her promise? _He snorted to himself. It wouldn't have helped. Promises don't mean anything anymore. They were running and running. All the while, Tyreese and Rick were offering to take the weight out of his arms but the thought of anyone else touching her terrified him.

"Look, if ya want me to, I'll-"

"No," Daryl snapped for the hundredth time.

The smaller group had slowed to a walk now, giving him more time to breathe. He didn't care. He just wanted to fix her and make everything alright again. She would live through this; he couldn't lose her again. All that time when he thought she was dead after that convict had let loose the walkers in the prison, he'd felt like he was on the verge of breaking down. But he was Daryl Dixon and he didn't. He never broke down. People were counting on that. Not Carol, though. She listened. She never judged. She let him talk and talk and let out his emotions. Hell, sometimes she'd even offer help. By some miracle, he had found her and she wasn't slipping away again. Daryl looked down at her in his arms. She was asleep... or unconscious. Gritting his teeth, he continued to look straight ahead and around for oncoming walkers. The threat of Woodbury had been put behind them for now.

"Hey," Rick called from the front of the group. "There's a house up there!"

Carl and Merle walked forward. Merle, Daryl noticed, hadn't said much since the ordeal happened. He had occasionally looked back at Carol and risked a glance at Daryl but Daryl's eyes had remained firmly on her frame or ahead.

"You wan' us t' check it out?" Merle offered.

Rick looked at him and hesitated. He looked at Carl who seemed completely indifferent to the situation and a possible threat from Merle and nodded.

"Sure," Rick nodded. He looked at Carl. "Be careful."

Daryl adjusted Carol in his arms and risked a glance down again. She had paled a lot since they first entered the woods and her eyes hadn't opened.

"Seriously, man, I'll hold her if y-"

"For fuck's sake!" Daryl snapped. "I'm fine! No-one else needs t' touch 'er! I can carry 'er! Quit askin'!"

Tyreese looked at him and then nodded and walked over to where Sasha was standing. A few moments later, Merle and Carl reappeared outside the house and nodded. The group quickly moved inside. The house wasn't in bad condition but it was just bare. There were no essentials, just furniture. But Daryl didn't care. He ran up the creaky wooden stairs and into the first room with a bed in it. Carefully placing Carol onto the soft mattress, he knelt down to look at the wound. It wasn't deep but they had next to no medical care. It could get infected and, if it wasn't removed with care, it could damage a vein. Daryl didn't know much about internal organs or how they could check and that only made him angrier. Michonne appeared in the doorway seconds later.

"Y' need to get the bullet out," she said slowly.

He looked at her. "The hell do you know 'bo-"

"When that old guy looked at my leg," she interrupted coolly, "he removed the bullet, cleaned it and stitched it. I stopped feeling like I was gonna pass out, then."

Daryl looked away from her and back at Carol. "Yeah, well, he's not 'ere. An' we don't have any-"

He stopped when he saw Michonne pull out the alcohol Merle had grabbed from the bar and first aid kit out of her bag. She placed them on the table next to the bed and nodded then left the room as quietly as she came in. He stood and grabbed the sparse supplies and looked at Carol. She looked more fragile than ever but he had to do something. Plucking up the courage, he moved her top up to just below her chest and faced the wound. The blood had dried around it and so he grabbed a towel and poured some alcohol on it. He gingerly wiped in and around the bullet hole and made sure it was clean. The tweezers came next. He took them with caution as though they were going to bite him at any second. But there was no good way of doing this so he looked in the wound and plucked out pieces of the bullet from her side. It was a messy job but he completed it thoroughly then began thinking about the stitches. He'd seen her do it a few times. Hell, she'd stitched people up before. Merle was one of them. His hands were shaking too much. There was no way he could-

"Want me t' do it?"

Daryl looked around and spotted Merle behind him.

"No. I can-"

"I've seen 'er do it on me," Merle said, moving forward. "I can do it. Well, prob'ly better'n 'er seen as though she pulled too tight." He half-smiled at the memory then looked at his brother.

Daryl was about to protest but, at this point, he wasn't left with much of a choice. His hands were shaking too much to even consider using a needle. Especially on Carol. He finally swallowed and stood, letting Merle closer, then nodded.

After fifteen minutes of careful stitching, watched closely by Daryl, Merle finished and stood. Neither of them were doctors but now all they could do was wait and hope that the wound wouldn't infect her inside.

...

Her eyes flickered. Then a white hot pain shot through her side. She gritted her teeth and her face contorted in pain as she let out a gasp. As she attempted to sit up, a hand came to rest on her shoulder, pushing her back down.

"Hey, hey, you need t' stay still."

She opened her eyes a crack and saw Daryl hovering over her. His eyes looked like they were glistening with moisture but she had too many questions.

"Daryl! Wh- where are we? What happened? I-"

"Hey, shh, we're fine," he said quietly, his hand still on her shoulder. "We're in a house. We've been runnin' for a while now. Was... worried you...er... weren't gonna wake up..."

Carol saw the pain in his eyes as he looked away. Making sure they were alone before she made a move, she brought her hand up to his face and caressed his cheek with her thumb. His eyes watered a little as he looked back at her but he blinked and they were gone. Her hand strayed around to the back of his neck and pulled him in. Their lips only touched briefly but she smiled and so did he. When he pulled back she grinned up at him.

"Nine lives."


	13. Chapter 12

_I've really appreciated the reviews this far! Thank you so much! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've had exams but here you go!_

* * *

As soon as Carol was fully conscious, Rick decided the group should move on- much to Daryl's annoyance.

"She's hardly better an' you wanna jus'-"

"We need to... Who knows where Woodbury could be?" Rick answered.

Daryl stared at the other man for a few seconds before storming off upstairs to where she was resting. She was still in pain, he could tell by the way she winced with each movement. But she continued to shrug it off and insisted she was fine. It was different when he looked at her now. She looked different. It was a look of... defeat.

"You alrigh'?" Daryl asked, shuffling into the room and crouching down next to her.

Carol sighed heavily and looked at him. "You should all go on," she said quietly.

"What?" He must have misheard her.

"Look, I can't walk properly. I'm a burden. I won't have you carryin' me everywhere. That's jus' stupid. You should all leave me here. I'll be okay."

"No way," he growled. "Are ya mad? After all the shit we went through at the prison and gettin' out?"

She looked ashamed. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to keep dragging you all down. We could have been further away by now if it wasn't for me," she whispered as her voice broke.

"Hey, hey, c'mon," Daryl said, moving so he sat next to her on the bed over the blanket that was covering her legs. He threw an arm around her shoulders, something he wouldn't have been comfortable with a year ago. But circumstances change. "We're not leavin' you, alrigh'? We're gonna wait 'til you're better. I'll carry ya if I have t'."

Carol smiled into his shoulder. "Thank you."

"What're ya thankin' me for?"

"Everything."

...

A little while later, Carol was sat on the edge of the bed and was trying to put weight on her feet but, every time she tried, a bolt of pain would rocket up her side and she would be left gasping and waiting for the pain to go away. From upstairs, she could hear Daryl arguing with Rick.

"We're not leavin' when she's like that! She can't walk!" he persisted.

She heard a sigh. Probably from Rick. Then-

"We leave tomorrow morning."

Carol felt her eyes water. It wasn't sadness, it was anger. Why did it have to be her who was shot? Why was she always in the damn way? Most importantly, why couldn't she get her legs to work? She was frustrated so, gritting her teeth, she planted both feet on the floor and pushed. Unsteady was an understatement. The pain that was so familiar resting came back with one hundred times that effect standing up. Her knees buckled as soon as the door opened and she saw someone skid across the floor quickly on their knees to stop her. They caught her before she hit the hard wooden boards.

"The hell d'ya think you're doin'?"

It was Daryl. She curled up against his chest, willing the pain to go away, and sobbed. There was no way she could have held back this time.

"I'm so sorry," she wept. "About everything I've put you through. Sophia, making you uncomfortable, being a burden, _everything. _Judith as we- Oh God, Judith!" Fresh tears fell. "You should never have saved me from the farm. Not after how I made you feel after Sophia. You looked for her every day. Every single day. Even when you knew she was gone!" Her voice was broken now. "Y- you never gave up. I'm s- so sorry. It wasn't- It wasn't your fault. I'm s- so grateful." She sniffed.

Daryl's arms just tightened around her like he was trying to stop himself from crying as well. One hand came around her waist gently and the other rested on the back of her head. His forehead pressed against her temple.

"I ain't never gonna leave ya, alrigh'?"

She nodded weakly against his shoulder and then felt herself being lifted onto the bed. Her blanket was pulled gently from under her and she felt Daryl's chest press against her back and her blanket was thrown over both of them. His arm came around her upper arms and he pulled her in. Carol felt more relaxed and more protected. She felt like nothing could hurt her.

...

Their rest was interrupted in the middle of the night. Tyreese was keeping watch from an upstairs window and his shouts echoed through the house.

"THERE'S A HERD COMIN' THROUGH THE WOODS!"

Daryl woke with a start and shook Carol awake before pulling on his boots and throwing open the door. He heard Rick curse from down the corridor and then he came running into view.

"How big?" he asked quickly.

"About a hundred," Tyreese said, meeting the other two men on the landing.

"They just passing through?"

"I don't know. Could be anything."

"Shit." Rick ran his hands through his hair. "Get into a room and lock the door. We can't outrun them."

Daryl silently thanked Rick's change of heart and backed into the room where Carol was sitting upright on the bed. The house was in total darkness as he bolted the door and sat with his back against it, clutching his crossbow in his left hand, and rested the back of his head against the door.

"Are we going to be safe?" Her small voice cut through the silence.

Daryl sighed. "D'ya think I'd let us stay here if I thought we weren't gonna be?"

He saw the corner of Carol's mouth flick up into a smile and she pushed herself slowly off the bed and onto the floor. Knowing she wouldn't want his help, he let her do it on her own. Despite a frown knotting together on her forehead, she managed to manoeuvre herself across the floorboards until she sat next to him. She let out a sigh and leant against his right arm with their backs against the door. Before she could say anything, he pressed a finger to his lips and she soon realised why. The groans of slow passing walkers suddenly became apparent and she grabbed his right hand. Even after the outbreak, she still got scared every now and again, he knew. He squeezed her hand back in comfort. There were scratches coming from the front and he heard shuffling and then a bang from downstairs. It sounded like something hard had just hit the floor. But he couldn't move. Carol glanced up at him with questioning eyes but he could only shrug. Merle was downstairs in a room and he prayed that the front door had been locked as well as his brother's own.

What felt like hours after the scratches stopped, Daryl heard Tyreese.

"They've all passed," he called. "There's just two of 'em at the front."

He heard Rick's door open from down the hallway, heard him say, "I've got it," then he ran down the stairs.

Daryl looked down at Carol to find her sleeping quietly on his shoulder. He smiled for the first time in a while and, with his best attempt at not waking her, he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He watched her for a few seconds then heard footsteps on the stairs. They were slow and it couldn't be Rick. Daryl went back to his door and unlocked it. When he opened it, Merle was stood in front of him with a grin on his face but water in his eyes.

Blood was running down his arm from a bite on his left shoulder.

"Hey, little brother."


	14. Chapter 13

Daryl blinked. Then again. And again. He was locked inside a dream. Or a nightmare This couldn't be happening. Not after everything. There'd been a couple of close calls but how had Merle managed to get bitten so easily? His brother's eyes were watering through his pasted on smile.

"Not as bad as it looks, right?" Merle chuckled.

Daryl couldn't take his eyes off the bite until he heard Carol gasp behind him and push forward. She appeared at his side and his hand immediately grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back. Merle noticed the action and the corner of his mouth flicked up.

"Think I should jus' go?" Merle asked.

Daryl couldn't say anything. No words were forming. It reminded him when he first saw his brother stumbling to the prison for the first time. Speechless.

"No!"

The brothers looked at Carol who was trying to cover her mouth with one hand. Her bright blue eyes were wide as she stared at Merle. Daryl knew she was thinking the same as him. There was no way to save him. No way to cure it.

"No? So whaddaya want?" Merle looked at Carol. "You want me t' jus' stay here an' turn in front of ya'll and put ya in danger?"

Carol looked scared now and Daryl could tell that her mind was working backwards. She was trying to rewind and think of something to make the situation better. That's what she always did. But there was no way of making this better. He saw her look up at him from the corner of his eye but he remained focused on Merle's bite.

"How did ya-"

"Was dealin' with one and didn't see the other behind," Merle stated, looking at the ground.

"But... You jus-"

Then Rick appeared behind Merle.

"What's goin' on?" he asked carefully.

Merle turned slowly towards Rick, his palms raised in defence. The recognition was instantaneous and Rick had his gun up in seconds.

"Hold on!" Carol cried. Daryl glanced at her. She was staring at Rick intently.

"We don't have time for-"

"Look," Carol interrupted, "they don't turn for hours. Just...let's just... slow down and think. We don't have to do anything right now."

Daryl was internally grateful for Carol then. Had she not been there, Merle's brains would have painted the walls in seconds. He couldn't say anything. He hadn't come to terms with the fact that he was now going to lose his brother.

Again.

...

They eventually decided to lock him in one of the rooms of the house. Rick wasn't happy about the situation, Carol noticed, but she didn't care.

"We could be running right now! We could be getting away from Woodbury! We're wasting-"

"Rick! We're going to stay here until..." She trailed off but glanced at Merle and Rick saw. He nodded then walked away, knowing how Daryl will feel.

She was in the room with Merle. Daryl was sat at the front of the house outside. He didn't want to be anywhere near him when it eventually happened.

"Thanks," Merle muttered.

Carol lifted her head. She was sat on the wooden floor opposite him.

"What for?" she asked.

Merle laughed under his breath. "Ya think I'd be sittin' here right now if you ain't been there?"

Carol attempted a laugh. It came out all wrong.

"I'm not turnin' yet," he mumbled, "ya don't have t' be scared or nothin'."

She nodded and shuffled closer to him. He sighed as though he was about to confess something to her.

"I jus' wanted to say thanks for takin' care of my brother."

Her head snapped up. "You don't need to be-"

"I ain't never been there much," he said, "he needs someone like you."

"I'll always be there... Well... for as long as I can." Merle narrowed his eyes at her. "I mean," she said, quickly, "we're all infected."

Merle chuckled again and Carol joined in until they were both laughing properly. It felt forced but she couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed. She remembered when he had first said that to her. Merle sighed.

"Your stitches worked pretty good," he said. "Jus' in time."

The seriousness of his blunt statement ended the laughter. Her vision became hazy and she blinked quickly and wiped under her eyes.

"Sorry," he muttered.

She looked at him properly. He looked like a wounded puppy. Then she smiled again.

"In the space of a few weeks, I've gotten a thank you and a sorry from Merle Dixon," she muttered.

Merle smiled then winced and felt around his shoulder. His eyes fell to the floor then back to her.

"Go get Daryl... please," he added.

Carol nodded and got to her feet.

"I'm truly sorry, Merle. Thank you for never giving up on Daryl." She noticed his face. "You knew he was still alive."

...

Daryl was sitting on the steps at the front of the house. He was staring up at the early morning sky and the sun was just beginning to rise. He closed his eyes and breathed in.

"Daryl?"

He whipped around but it was only Carol.

"He wants to speak to you," she whispered.

Daryl shook his head. "I don't wanna. He ain't himself."

"Daryl," she said, her hand grazing his arm, "he's still your brother. They don't turn for hours. You know-"

"I said I don't wanna."

He was being harsh, he knew, but he couldn't face seeing Merle as... one of those things. Carol glanced at him, tried to give him a reassuring smile and then retreated back into the house, brushing his arm with her thumb. Daryl sat heavily back down on the steps and kneaded his eyes with his knuckles.

...

Back in the room, Carol sat in front of Merle again. She wasn't two metres away from him but she noticed he looked pale. The bite was turning black and gooey and his eyes looked glazed over. She knew it would be soon but she hoped it wouldn't have to be her who finally-

"'M still here," he mumbled.

Carol nodded and reached over. "I know. But you can let go."

Merle looked dehydrated and very ill. His eyes had started to develop grey in them.

"He ain't comin'?"

Carol shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Merle snorted quietly but his head rested back against the wall and he closed his eyes.

"Merle?" she whispered, her voice shaking, edging closer. "Merle?"

His eyes fluttered open and they were fully glazed and grey. He turned his head to look at her but it wasn't him. Not completely. Slowly, he came closer and his arms raised up in front of him and made to grab her. With a scream, Carol fell backwards and tried to scramble away only to run into someone.

Daryl.

He raised his gun and, with an eerie and echoing shot, he fired.


	15. Chapter 14

Daryl stared at the walker on the floor. That's what he'd always told himself, _zero tolerance for walkers. _But it wasn't like that. That was his brother. He just killed his brother.

He just killed his brother...

The gun in his hands fell with a clatter on the floor. The world around him seemed to tune out. Everything was hazy. Carol's hands were on either side of his face but he couldn't focus on her. His vision was blurred. He heard a bang of a door opening behind him and then Rick came into sight. Rick's mouth was moving but Daryl couldn't hear. Carol was still gazing at him and trying to bring him out of this nightmare. But it wasn't a nightmare. He wasn't dreaming. Slowly backing out of the room, Daryl inched further and further back until he was sprinting down the stairs, out of the front door and into the woods. Nobody could stop him. He stopped and sank down to his knees. He could rub his eyes all he wanted but finally, in the middle of nowhere in the woods, he broke down. They were not loud and ugly sobs, just silent tears that fell down his cheeks. After a few moments, he heard rustling in the trees behind him. It was too fast to be a walker. He wiped his face furiously and whipped around.

"Damn it, woman, jus' gimme a-"

He stopped when he saw two men advancing on him with their guns trained on his head. His hand instinctively reached to his shoulder but his crossbow wasn't there. He had dropped his other gun in the house and he only had a knife on him now. That wouldn't do much good. The two men he recognised vaguely. They were from Woodbury. One of them smirked at the other, knowing they had him completely cornered. A round of gunfire could be heard from back up at the house. Daryl felt sick. Hershel, Beth, Judith, Axel, Merle... He couldn't take anymore death. Then he thought of Carol in the house and automatically stepped forward. The men held their guns further towards him.

"Make one more move an' you're dead right here," one of the men said.

Daryl gritted his teeth.

"Hands up," the other one said.

Daryl slowly obeyed, trying to think of anything he could do in this situation. Nothing came to mind. He heard screams from the house and more gunfire. He stepped forward again but, this time, he was met with a sharp blow on the back of the head.

Then everything went black.

...

Taking one last look at Merle's lifeless body, Carol tore herself away and made to go after Daryl. She flew down the stairs. When she reached the door she flung it open but was stopped when she saw five cars parked at the front of the house.

"Shit!" she cried, slamming it shut again.

She knew it had to be Woodbury but they were now completely cornered. Rick came down the stairs followed by Carl.

"What's goin' on? Where's Daryl?" he questioned, moving towards the door.

"Stop!"

Rick's hand froze in front of the door handle. "What?"

Carol had already stepped over two dead walkers downstairs and was at the window looking out at men from Woodbury. She saw three take off into the woods and fear gripped her chest tight. Daryl would be in there somewhere. Rick stood behind her at the window and cursed. He yelled upstairs to the remainder of their small group. Carol was still staring through the window. Who she presumed was the Governor was making his way slowly towards the house. Then she saw Andrea. She looked unhappy. _Serves her right, _Carol thought angrily. She couldn't believe Andrea had openly shot at the group. Unless... she didn't know it was them. Rick was running his hands through his hair. He didn't know what to do. But she wasn't concerned for him. Daryl was her main and, if she was honest, her _only_priority.

"Rick! Daryl's in the woods!" she shouted.

Rick stared at her as though she had two heads. Carol looked up at his father for guidance. Carl and Daryl had bonded quite well at the prison and he looked equally as scared as everyone else. Tyresse, Sasha and Michonne burst into the room. Rick stared at them all. He was at a loss. Bullets started to strike the house. The wood started to splinter.

"ALRIGHT!" Rick shouted.

The Governor yelled to all of them outside to stop.

"STOP! WE'RE COMIN' OUT!"

There was a pause and then a scream. Carol recognised it as Andrea.

"I KNOW THEM!" she shouted. "STOP IT!"

Carol saw Andrea being restrained by two other men.

"YOU SAID IT WAS A GROUP WHO WERE THREATENING US! I _KNOW_ THEM!"

Carol saw the Governor step close to Andrea. His face was inches from Andrea's and his lips were moving. She managed to lip read "shut up" and then Andrea was carried into one of the cars, struggling as she convulsed in their arms. Then Carol saw a sight that made her stomach twist. An unconscious Daryl was being dragged to a car by three men. Rick followed her gaze and he dragged his hands over his face. He cursed before crossing over to the door and throwing it open. He stepped out onto the porch with his hands raised over his head. Carl stepped closer to Carol and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a brave smile.

Seconds later, a dozen men filed into the house with guns trained on every person. Rick was knocked out with a blow to his temple from a gun in seconds. Despite the fact that Carl was determined to be a man in the group, he was pressed closer to Carol's side. Their hands locked as blindfolds were put on them and they were marched out of the house. Carol's thoughts were occupied with Daryl. She prayed he was okay.

...

When Daryl woke up, he had a throbbing pain at the back of his head. He gingerly touched it and grimaced as the pain shot through him. Then he took in his surroundings. It was an old room with dirty walls and various bits of broken furniture in it. He saw an open can of gas in the middle of the floor and then it hit him. He was at Woodbury. Memories came back of Merle... then the woods and the men... then he was knocked out. He cursed and got to his feet, scanning the room. The only door was obviously locked. He picked up a chair but, before he could slam it into the door to break it open, it was being unlocked. Dropping the chair, he backed up in the room away from the door. Two men stepped inside with a blindfolded woman and a young boy with her. Carol and Carl. Anger and worry surged up inside of him but the men were heavily armed. They pushed them both inside and locked the door quickly. Daryl caught Carol by her elbows.

"Hey, hey, 's me!" he whispered, his hands moving to untie the blindfold.

"Daryl?"

His hands worked quickly on them both and, as soon as she could see him, her arms came up around his neck, threading one hand through his hair. He glanced down nervously at Carl but the kid just gave him a slight smile before sitting down with his back against the wall. Daryl's arms pulled her in around her waist and his forehead rested on her shoulder. They hugged for a few moments before she pulled back and kissed him lightly on his lips. He smiled bravely at her then took her hand and glanced at Carl who looked defeated as he slumped down the wall. His head was resting on his crossed arms over his bent knees. Daryl lead her over to the boy and they sat down with him. His arm curled around Carol's knees that were against her chest and her head rested on his shoulder. He looked down at Carl who glanced up at him.

"We're gonna get outta here," he said.

Carl nodded and Daryl gripped his shoulder as tightly as his hand gripped Carol's own. They'd be okay.


	16. Chapter 15

Even though Carol was pressed next to Daryl, she was still scared. He was sat with his eyes closed and his arm around her knees, hugging her in. The worry had her feeling sick. How would they get out of this one? There was just no way-

"Daryl?"

It was Carl. Carol raised her head from Daryl's shoulder and they both glanced at the young boy next to them.

"Sup?"

Carl hesitated then said, "Will my dad be okay?"

"Course he will. Your old man's always fine."

Carol smiled to herself. She had always thought that Daryl would be a good father. After seeing him with Judith, it confirmed what she was thinking. There was a slight pang of sadness as she thought about the little baby just left at the prison. She could have gone back or done something. Then she remembered her own wound and her side ached in response. It still wasn't fully healed and she winced.

Daryl looked down at her. "You alright?"

She maneuvered herself so she was comfortably resting against him again and said, "Yeah, just the wound. Should be fine though."

"You best tell me if it ain't."

Carol nodded, her cheek rubbing against his shoulder. Nobody was sure where Rick and the others were. Woodbury would be idiots if they let them go now. Finally, fatigue took her and her eyelids dropped.

...

Hours later, realising there was no reason to keep watch, Daryl was resting his head on top of Carol's. Just as he was on the brink of sleep himself, the door flew open and banged against the wall. He shook Carol and Carl awake as he got to his feet. Two men entered the room.

"You're the one who escaped last time!"

Daryl looked at him. It wasn't a question.

"Bet the Governor'll want you in the ring again," the other man laughed.

He tensed as he remembered his fight with Merle. Carol came to his side and Carl was stood closely behind her.

"Awwww," the first man said, "this your wife and kid?" He walked closer to them with his hand poised over his gun.

Daryl flicked his eyes from the man to his gun. He glanced down at Carol who pressed closer against him.

"Maybe these can die for you? How 'bout that? Or the other way round?" He smirked. "Would ya like that?"

Daryl gritted his teeth. There would be no way Carol would be taken away from him. Or Carl. The man in front of him grinned and kept an eye on Daryl as he gently stroked Carol's face. She didn't flinch as his fingers ghosted over her cheek.

"Maybe the Governor'll want you for himself instead. Seems to wasteful to put you in the ring," he said, grinning at Daryl again. "Yeah, we'll take her to the Governor. C'mon, let's-"

"You wish," Daryl growled, his hand striking out in front of Carol and pushing her completely behind him.

The man's eyes met Daryl's. He was about the same height as him, if slightly shorter, and roughly the same build. But Daryl didn't have a gun and there was another one pointed at him from the grip of the other man. The man in front of him grinned again.

"She your wife?" Daryl shook his head. "You together?"

Daryl didn't move. His eyes burned into the man.

"Ain't that sweet?" he said, reaching out to grab Carol again.

In a split second, Daryl's fingers gripped the man's wrist hard. The sudden grip made him cry out in pain.

"YOU BEST LET GO!"

_Shit, _he thought. He had forgotten about the other man in the heat of what was happening. Reluctantly, Daryl released him and nudged Carol back with his arm.

When he had recovered, he glanced at Daryl. "The Governor's gonna want to speak to you," he spat.

Then, motioning to the other man, they left and locked the door behind them again.

...

"You moron!" she cried, pushing him in the chest.

He looked at her, clearly confused.

"They could have shot you!"

"He was... touchin' you. Someone had t' do somethin'."

"I could have handled it!" she insisted.

"You're welcome," he said flatly, sitting back against the wall.

Carol could have kicked herself. Of course he had done it. He had protected her and kept her safe... again. And what was she doing? Throwing it back in his face.

"Shit," she murmured to herself. Then she glanced at Carl who was standing in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do with the situation, and she sighed. With caution, she moving past the boy and back to sit down next to Daryl. "I'm sorry," she said, her hand coming up to turn his cheek to her. "Thank you."

"Ya don't need t' keep sayin' that."

She smiled up at him and realised how grateful she really was for him. Who knows what could have happened if he hadn't have stepped in. Carl, seeing that they were more relaxed, moved over and sat in front of them with his legs crossed.

"You alright?" Carol asked him.

The boy nodded and smiled at her.

"We're gonna get outta here," Daryl said to Carl, with his hand on Carol's knee and the situation forgotten.

He looked grateful to be with them both. Carol felt like she had at least managed to take care of Carl for Lori and felt a little better inside. Still, Carol looked around the room then at the locked door. No ideas came to mind on how they would ever get out of this by themselves.

...

Daryl looked down at Carl sleeping across the floor. The kid could fall asleep anywhere and he wished he had that gift. He'd always been a restless sleeper. Carol was too. She was frequently woken by nightmares involving Sophia, Judith, Lori and losing Daryl. He looked down at her now, her head in his lap and her face scrunched into a frown that didn't suit her pretty face, and sighed. He stroked her arm lightly with his thumb and looked at the faint scars that criss-crossed their way along her body. There were some on her arms, hips that just poked out from under her thin top, her neck, the bullet wound in her side... They were all faint but that didn't manage to reduce Daryl's annoyance. He thought of Ed and why he had started hitting her and why the _hell _hadn't she left him. He was just glad he wasn't around anymore. Even from his distance back in the Atlanta camp, he'd seen him intimidate and beat Carol and Sophia. The day he returned back to the camp all bloody and bruised from Shane's beating, Daryl noticed him and couldn't resist a slight smirk at a man who had finally met his match. From then on, Carol wasn't scared of him. The day before he'd died when the camp was invaded, she had stood up to him, she had said. Daryl felt proud as he looked at her now. It was a strange feeling for him but he knew that she wasn't weak anymore. He slowly caressed her scars as though he could magically make them disappear. He wished that he could.

A couple of moments later, he was disturbed by the men returning. They looked frantic and unsure as they raised their guns and pointed them shakily at him. His jump caused Carol to rouse from her sleep and knock against Carl in the process. She saw the guns fixed on them all and looked at Daryl for guidance. Carl looked wide-eyed at him too. He didn't have answers so he pulled her closer around her waist and she rested her head in the crook of his neck. His hand came up to her face and rested there, trying to protect her.

Carl closed his eyes.

A tear escaped Carol and rolled down onto his hand.

He shut his eyes as two shots sounded...

But he felt no pain.

Opening his eyes slowly, Daryl saw that the two men were lying dead on the floor. A pool of blood was starting to form under their heads.

"Just in time!"

Daryl would know that arrogant voice anywhere. Carol lifted her head from his shoulder and gasped.

"Andrea!"


	17. Chapter 16

Carol got to her feet, rushing forward. She couldn't believe her eyes. The woman stared at her with a slight smile on her face then she pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry! I left you! I-" Carol spluttered.

"It's alright. We just need to get out of here now. Before-"

But Andrea was cut off. Around a dozen men, all armed, burst into the room with their guns pointed on Andrea, Carol, Carl and Daryl. Andrea sighed and raised her arms in surrender. Carol followed. As did Carl. Then, reluctantly, Daryl.

"C'mon. We ain't takin' chances anymore," one man said, gritting his teeth. "Hands on your heads. Governor wants you to see somethin'."

They were marched out, Andrea too, until they came to what looked like a makeshift wrestling ring. Daryl stopped walking and Carol turned and saw.

"keep goin'!" someone snapped, striking Daryl in the back of the head with his gun.

He stumbled forward and Carol ran to stop him.

"HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!"

Carol ignored the man. She put her hands on Daryl's chest to stop him from falling and he looked up at her. His eyes met hers and he looked ashamed.

"Come on," she whispered. "It's okay. You said we'd get outta here."

Daryl straightened up and placed one hand on his head and the other wrapped around Carol's. The men from Woodbury eyed each other curiously then one smirked.

"Oh no, we can't have this," he said coyly, glancing from Daryl to Carol. "Take her to the Governor and take him back to the ring. Make the kid watch his daddy."

Carl struggled as he was carried away, shouting and kicking at two men.

"CARL!" Carol cried, unable to reach Lori's little boy.

Daryl punched at everything in his surroundings, shouting at them and trying to force his way forward through them all to get to Carol. She was trying but, with the combined strength of three Woodbury men, she was hauled away. Her last sight before a bag came over her head was Daryl's eyes, wide and frantic.

...

He was shoved unceremoniously into the ring. Rick was stood a few feet away from him. Along with Tyreese and Glenn. They all looked worse for wear with bruised faces, burst lips and random cuts across their skin. Rick's hands were tied and he looked as though he was battling with unconsciousness. Daryl was trying to work with the ties when he saw what was different. The ring was not bare. In the four corners were walkers. They were securely on chains but then the chains became loose. They stopped just a few feet from them. Daryl was holding up an almost unconscious Rick. He could hear Carl in the stands being held by two men.

"DAD!" he shouted.

He searched around but he couldn't see an escape. He didn't know how to get out of this. Tyreese was already trying to bash in a walker's head that was reaching out for him. Glenn had its' arms behind its' back at Tyreese's giant fists pummelled the head of it. They had been stripped bare of weapons. Nothing could be done. Then Rick's legs gave way and he fell.

"Shit!" Daryl cursed. "C'mon. Wake up! Rick!"

Memories of getting hit by Merle crept into his head and how that couldn't be done this time. Not unless he- No. He couldn't. He wanted to risk his life to save them. Then to come back again like Merle had. But it seemed unlikely this time. He'd already escaped once. But if it got Carol and the others a chance to escape then- Wait. He scanned the crowd around him. Where was Carol? Where had she been taken? Where was the Governor?

"DARYL!" Glenn shouted.

He whipped around to see that the chains had come loose another foot and they were struggling. Standing over Rick, he tried to defend them.

...

A bag was pulled forcefully off her head and she was stood in a large room. There was a large table in front of her with the man, who she had presumed was the Governor, sitting at the top end. A solitary dim light flickered. They just stared for a few moments and said nothing until he broke the silence.

"Welcome to Woodbury," he said smoothly.

Carol said nothing.

"I'm not going hurt you unless you make me," he said, standing from his chair. "But I highly doubt someone like you could do that. Hell, I bet you don't even carry a weapon." He laughed. "Are you going to cooperate or am _I_ going to have to make _you_?"

Carol swallowed. She wasn't that scared of him but there was something about him which made her very uncomfortable. It wasn't his eye patch, it was his manner. He seemed very calm but she had a feeling that, if you pushed him the wrong way, he would snap.

"Well," he went on. "I don't want anyone here to go to waste. Aside from the other troublemakers in your group. They're in a ring with walkers right now."

Carol's breath caught in her throat as she thought of Daryl. He seemed to read her mind.

"Oh yes, the one who gave me some bother before he escaped. He'll be taken care of this time. He and his brother will be no more." He stopped. "Where is Merle Dixon?"

Carol wiped a tear away that had fallen down her cheek.

"Answer me!"

"...Dead," she whispered.

He straightened. "Well, that's one less person we need to deal with now, isn't it?" he replied, running his thumb down her face. "Hey, there's no need to cry... Oh. The other Dixon." He smirked.

Carol lifted her head to look at him. She had tears in her eyes but they were from anger, not sadness.

"You and the other Dixon, huh?" He grabbed her face in one large hand, tilting it up so she was looking into his eyes and it was inches away from his own face. "Am I right?"

"Yes," she rasped, nodding quickly.

He smirked again and then his hand drifted down her jaw line and down onto her neck. "You may as well forget him now. He's gonna be gone soon," he whispered, smiling at her. He was bent down so his eyes were level with her own. "Now, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. You can stay in this town and abide by the rules or you can try to run and the consequences will be fatal. Now, which one are you going to choose?"

Her eyes left the floor and she looked at him. "I'll take my chances with running."

The Governor bared his teeth. "You'd take your chances out there rather than be safe and play by _my _rules in here?"

"You have killed the only people I care about. Why would I want to be with you? And, if I run, you kill me. That's just fine too. I don't want to be in a world without those people." She breathed out.

He smirked. "Well, so be it. I might as well get this over with now rather than dragging it out."

Carol swallowed. She knew it was coming. Maybe she'd see Sophia soon. Maybe Daryl would be there too. And Carl. And maybe Rick. It wouldn't be so bad. She closed her eyes. There was a pause. Then a deafening bang echoed in the room. The door swung open and Michonne, closely followed by Andrea, burst into the room.

"How the hell did you two escape?" he spat out.

Andrea and Michonne shared a look. It wasn't a smile but it was close. The Governor turned so he was facing them both. He gritted his teeth as he faced them. Michonne's sword was pointing at his chest. Andrea had a gun in her hand. His gun was flicking between the two of them. Carol stood blocked behind him then she remembered. He had been so wrong. She was not without a weapon. Pulling out the small knife Daryl had given to her that she kept in her back pocket, she raised it above her head. Andrea's eyes widened and Michonne stared at her. Just as he turned around, she brought it down. The knife stuck into the left hand side of his chest. The gun fell out of his hand and clattered on the floor. His body fell with a thud on the floor and the Governor was no more.


	18. Chapter 17

_Thanks for the reviews so far! They mean a lot! This is a longish chapter so I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"Rick! Rick!"

Glenn went at another walker whilst Daryl's continuous attempts to waken Rick remained futile. He was deep in unconsciousness and there was nothing Daryl or any of the others could do. The walkers were weakening now but they had no weapons and no quick way of finishing them off. They tried bashing in their heads, ripping them and tearing at them with the chains that held them. It was a slow process and now the walkers were in pieces. A deep bite had sunk into Tyreese's arm before any of them could do anything. But he still fought on. Sasha, Michonne, Andrea, Maggie and Carol were nowhere to be seen. Carl's shouts could still be heard from the crowd. His struggles were evident until a gun was aimed at him. Daryl's heart was in his throat but Carl stopped squirming and the gun was lowered again.

"Stop!" someone cried. "STOP!"

There was a pause and the crowd around the ring went quiet. The walkers were pulled back on their chains. Tyreese sunk to the floor, cradling his arm. Men who were heavily armed looked at each other for guidance while Daryl slapped Rick lightly.

"C'mon. Wake up!"

Rick's eyelids fluttered open but his eyes were unfocussed.

"Rick! Ya need t' wake up!"

His eyes dropped again and Daryl cursed. The crowd was still quiet when a short man came forward. He was dressed in a shirt tucked into his pants neatly and glasses perched on his face. The man stepped forward and faced the crowd.

"The Governor's dead!"

...

Carol had stood in shock of what she had done. Michonne and Andrea looked even more surprised. A few moments passed by until anyone spoke.

"We can't let him turn," Michonne mumbled, stepping forward.

Andrea put her arm out to stop her. She pulled Michonne back a few steps then walked slowly forward to where the Governor was lying on the floor. Kneeling down, she put her gun to his head, swallowed and fired. The shot echoed in the room. The women didn't move until they heard footsteps.

"Governor, I don't know if-"

Andrea was stood, pointing her gun at the short man who appeared in the doorway. Then she lowered it.

"Milton!"

The man stared at Andrea, then at Michonne and Carol, then at the Governor lying dead on the floor. His jaw slowly dropped and he started to gesture wildly. No words were coming to his aid.

"But- Andrea- I- What the- the Governor- I-"

"Milton," Andrea said firmly, stepping closer to him. He backed off a step but she continued. "How do we get out of here? Where are our friends? He'd dead now so you don't need to worry. Just help us get out."

The man still wasn't convinced. He glanced at Carol.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Andrea waved her hands in front of his face. "She's with us. Just help us. Please!"

"Andrea..." he hesitated, looking at his surroundings and the dead man on the floor. He looked the longest at Michonne as though he was scared of her. Finally, he said, "Okay... I'll help you. But just get out of here. Don't stop running. I'll see what I can do for your friends."

That seemed to be enough for Andrea so she nodded eagerly.

"Where are Maggie and Sasha?" Carol cut in.

Milton frowned. "Who?"

"The other women who were with us," Michonne said, stepping forward.

Milton looked guilty. "One of them came at me with a knife. A guard shot her down. The one who's been here before is in a room down the corridor. I'll help you find her. I'm sorry about the other."

Carol looked down. She hadn't known the other group for that long and they had just began getting comfortable with them. Then they had been dragged into this. A full-on war with Woodbury. She sighed but Andrea touched her shoulder then looked at Milton.

"What's your plan?"

He thought for a moment and then started to pace while talking. "I'll go out and cause a diversion. Tell everyone he's dead. Attempt to get order. Get your friends in the clear. Release them. You need to go out the back way. Over the hill." He glanced at Michonne. "Where you killed the captive walkers, there's a back gate in that yard. Go out of there. Over the hill." He threw her the keys. "Don't stop running."

Andrea took the Governor's gun and placed it in the holster on her thigh.

"Okay. Let's go."

...

Daryl saw the man talking to the armed Woodbury men and took advantage of the situation. He had pulled them all away from around the ring and so they were all in one place. Daryl looked at Carl in the seats who was now regarding the situation with caution. They met each others eyes and Daryl beckoned him over. Carl looked towards the group who were talking quietly amongst themselves then broke into a run. He stopped in front of Daryl and looked down at Rick.

"Daryl... Is he..."

"No, he ain't. Jus' unconscious. We gotta get him outta here, okay?"

Carl nodded quickly and, with the help of Glenn, they pulled Rick up to his feet. They stole a look at Tyreese who regarded them with a smile.

"It's alright. You go on. If you see Sasha, tell her I'm in a better place."

Daryl smiled slightly at the man who he hadn't known long. "Thanks, man."

Once they turned their backs on Tyreese, Daryl had no idea what to do or where to go. They eased their way out of the walkers and started in the opposite direction to the group. They rounded a corner and Carl shouted in surprise. Andrea collided into them. Attempts to rip her gun out of her holster stopped as she glanced at the men in front of her.

"Is he..." she started, staring at Rick.

"No. Where the hell are we goin'?"

Her eyes snapped up to Daryl and nodded. "Come on. Follow me, quick."

...

Andrea decided she knew the way too and would go to find Daryl and the others and then lead them out. Meanwhile, Carol followed Milton and Michonne to the room where Maggie was locked in. He opened it and stepped inside. There were a few shouts until she realised that Carol and Michonne were there too.

"Oh my God!" she cried, rushing forward and hugging Carol. "You're okay, thank God. Where's Glenn? Where are the others?" she asked, pulling back.

"Andrea's going to find them. We're getting out," Carol said hurriedly.

Michonne nodded to Milton before he turned into a run in Andrea's direction.

"Come on. This way," she said.

They followed Michonne to the armoury. Pausing only for a few seconds, they grabbed some guns and Carol saw the crossbow. Daryl's crossbow. Without thinking, she picked up the heavy weapon and, giving a slight nod to Maggie and Michonne, they ran out and came to the back yard. It was dark but Michonne could still see clearly.

"This way," she repeated.

Carol could just make out her figure and her sword glinting in the moonlight as she crossed over to the gate. She jammed the keys in, turned them and pulled. The gate was stiff but, with all three of them pulling, they yanked it open. In the distance they could hear shouts.

"Oh God," Carol whispered to herself.

To her side, Maggie was staring off in the direction they came from. Carol could tell she was scared for Glenn just as she was scared for Daryl. She placed her hand on Maggie's arm and gave her a brave smile. Maggie touched her hand and smiled back. They heard Michonne call them through the trees and nodded quickly before sprinting again. They were both thinking the same; how were they going to meet up with them all again?

...

Daryl was panting heavily trying to hold up Rick and keep close on Andrea's tail. They rounded a building and paused while they all caught their breath again. Carl had picked up some odd guns along the way and was stood with them. They boy was gasping for breath too and Daryl placed his hand on his shoulder and nodded.

"You alright?" he asked. Carl nodded and looked to his dad and Daryl caught him. "Hey," he said. "He's gonna be fine."

Shouting erupted from back at the ring and Andrea quickly motioned to them again so, hauling Rick's arm around his shoulder, he carried on with the help of Glenn. They rounded the corner into an empty yard and saw a heavy steel gate swinging open across it.

"Quick!" Andrea whispered.

Daryl didn't allow his thoughts to stray to a happy possible escape but he seemed convinced they wouldn't be seeing Woodbury again. Only one thought was on his mind now.

Carol.


	19. Chapter 18

_okay, this chapter is a bit longer but I wanted a reunion. I hope you like it._

* * *

"Keep up."

This had to be the fifth time Michonne had said this as they ran and Carol was getting really tired of it. They were over the hill and far away from Woodbury by now and, with every step, the crossbow seemed to gain extra weight on Carol's back. The woods they were in showed no sign of stopping and even Maggie was gasping for breath as they ran. Her brown jacket whipped around her and Carol's own cardigan was wrapped around her. Michonne was in front of them, jogging at a steady pace, when she came to a halt and leant against a thick tree.

"We'll stop for a minute," she muttered.

"How will we meet up with them again?" Maggie argued, looking over her shoulder. "We should go back."

"No. We've got to keep going. Get as far away from there as possible."

Maggie looked to Carol but, trying to be strong, she just shrugged and faced Michonne. Inside, she felt sick. She hadn't eaten or drank in hours and the fact that they might never meet up with Daryl again made her heart clench. Just the simple fact that he had been ripped away from her hours ago was enough to scare her. What if they got caught? What if she never saw him again? She knew her face started to resemble a panicked expression so she calmed herself and touched Maggie's arm.

"They'll be fine. Don't worry," she said, trying to convince herself.

The young woman looked at her and nodded bravely. Michonne looked at them and then her face took on some alarm. Carol whipped around just in time to see a walker not ten feet from her. Expertly swinging the crossbow around and into her arms, she took aim and fired the already loaded arrow into the head.

"Woah!" Maggie laughed.

Carol looked down at the weapon in her arms and smiled. She only had a couple more arrows left.

"We can't stop," Michonne stated. "We need to go."

Carol turned back and looked at the arrow. If Daryl and the others came through here, she knew he'd see it. It could mark a sign that she was alive.

...

"Daryl, we need to slow down," Glenn panted.

He turned his head to see Glenn on the other side of Rick, struggling to hold him up.

"Right. Jus' for a minute," Daryl agreed.

He carefully placed Rick down against a tree and looked back at Carl and Andrea.

"You alrigh'?" he asked Carl.

The boy nodded and went to sit by his dad. Rick was breathing steadily but needed to lie down somewhere safe for a while. His face was pale and his eyelids fluttered open and shut randomly. He had been beaten badly at Woodbury and bruising showed all over him.

"Your old man'll be alright. Said I'd keep an eye on him, didn't I?"

Carl nodded and smiled slightly but gratefully up at Daryl.

Andrea had her back to the men and held her gun by her side, looking out for any walkers. Glenn was doing the same but, after a few minutes, he gave up and came closer to Daryl.

"Where d'you think they are?" he whispered.

Daryl glanced at him. He knew what he meant.

"I dunno. I'm as good a tracker as any but," he said, looking at the ground, "I don't see any clear paths."

Glenn sighed angrily. Daryl knew it wasn't his fault. He loved Maggie and Daryl thought about Carol. Would he get to see her again? He also thought about his feelings- something that he rarely did. Did he love Carol? But what good was that if he couldn't find her? He glanced at the ground then Glenn gasped.

"What?" Glenn pointed to the bushes but Daryl didn't see anything.

"The leaves," he stated, pointing to a torn leaf with blood on it. "It's been cut... Someone could have been here."

Daryl turned the leaf in his fingers and glanced up at the man. "Ya think?"

Glenn didn't say anything but then saw feet sticking out of the next bush along and stepped back. They looked rotted and were not moving. So, raising the unfamiliar gun in his hands, Daryl approached. As he neared, he saw that the feet belonged to a walker. In it's head was an arrow. It looked like one of his. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It had to be her.

"They're alive," Daryl said, fully smiling now and hope returning. "C'mon."

...

The constant jogging was getting tiring now and Carol was just ready to give up when the back of a shop loomed into view. She almost collapsed with relief. Michonne stopped just before it and announced she would go in first. After a few moments, and the sound of a sword meeting it's target, Michonne signaled them to come inside. There was bottled water, cans of food and medicine. Quickly taking advantage, Maggie grabbed a flimsy bag that was discarded on the floor and started snatching up any goods she could. Once the bag was full, she drank. As did Carol. It was astounding how thirsty she really was when the bottle came to her lips.

"We can't stay here," Michonne said.

Carol and Maggie stopped. She felt deflated. They had ran a great distance and what little chance there was of finding Daryl again seemed to be decreasing by the second. Yes, she had left the arrow. But had he even walked down that path?

"What the hell d'you mean? We can't just wait here a second?" Maggie snapped.

"There'll be walkers," Michonne replied flatly.

"There's walkers everywhere!" Maggie cried, the tone of her voice rising.

Carol's eyes widened. The sound of groans from the floor above them came alive and Maggie stared at Michonne as though she had two heads.

"You didn't check upstairs?" she asked incredulously.

Michonne looked guilty for a few seconds then it quickly vanished. "C'mon," she snapped, gripping her sword and making for the front door.

They ran out into the street and stopped. There was nothing here. No walkers. Nothing at all. It was a small street with a few houses. They were large and spacious houses. Houses that Carol would have dreamed of living in before the world went to Hell. Without saying a word, all three of them started to walk. The doors and windows had been boarded up with long planks of wood and scratching came from inside. Carol looked nervously from Maggie to Michonne before they decided to tear down the wood. It was a hard task even with all three of them but finally the door was clear. With a harsh kick from her boot, the door flew open in front of Michonne and they were met with the sight of four walkers. A family. An old man, a woman aged no more than thirty, a man of similar age and a little girl of around five. With seemingly no hesitation, a sword was sliced through two and a bullet in another. Carol loaded up the crossbow again and aimed at the girl. But an image of Sophia formed in the girl and her finger faltered. She couldn't. The little girl bared her teeth and snarled and then Carol fired.

...

Rick was putting some weight on his own feet now (with some help) as they continued down the path they had set out on. Daryl was ready to stop for another break when Andrea called out in front of them.

"There's a house up here!"

Daryl's hope returned. "Well, go on. Keep goin'!"

They made it to the back door which was thrown open and swinging on the hinges. He felt even happier. They had been here, he knew it. The goods in the small shop were gone. It was stripped bare.

"They've been here!" Glenn muttered with a faint grin on his face.

Daryl nodded, firmly grasping Rick's arm and fighting off a smile. From the front of the shop, they heard a noise. As Daryl approached the front door, he heard someone. It came from down the street. Voices. Other people. Something tugged inside his chest and he raised his gun. Andrea was close behind him. He threw open the door and stepped out onto the porch of the shop and looked down the street. At the front of a house he saw three women carefully carrying dead bodies of walkers to the grass at the front. On closer inspection, he lowered his gun. He opened his mouth to call her name but it wouldn't come.

"Daryl?" Andrea appeared at his side then followed his stare. "Oh my God!"

This seemed to alert the women and they faced them with their weapons raised. Daryl smiled as she expertly swung the crossbow around her back and into her arms. She was looking down the weapon, aiming at him, then stopped and raised her head. Her mouth fell open and he saw her mouth his name. The weapon in her arms was pushed back as she broke into a run. He started to walk forward but she collided into his chest from a sprint and his arms instantly came around her waist as he swung her around once. Her arms were around his neck as she pulled back and looked at him with her brilliant blue eyes. Her hands came up to his face, a feeling he had missed so much, and she kissed him. It didn't matter who had witnessed the reunion, he just hung onto her feeling determined he would never let her go again.

"I found you," he mumbled into her shoulder. "I got you."

"Daryl," she whispered, sounding relieved.

He pulled back from her shoulder to smile and absorb every detail of her.

"Nice shooting."


	20. Chapter 19

_Update! Finally! Sorry to keep you all waiting! I hope this makes up for it! Thanks for all your reviews!_

* * *

She felt as though she was on a high and her hands wouldn't leave his face. It was only when he glanced behind him to check on everyone else did he stop looking at her. Rick, Glenn, Carl and Andrea were still stood still. Maggie then flew past Carol and into Glenn whose arms came around her. But Carol didn't care. Her gaze was still fixed on Daryl who was stood in front of her. She thought about the weapon on her back and then he looked back her and smiled slightly again.

"You're good wi' that," he said, nodding to his crossbow.

All she could do was smile up at him. Rick and Maggie, still holding Glenn up, ushered them all into the house. There didn't seem to be any walkers around this street and the windows were boarded up with thick planks of wood so they took it as a sign of safety.

"C'mon," Daryl said, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her back towards the house.

They passed the family of bodies on the grass and they dragged them to the front steps. It was an attempt, Carol thought, at warding off any walkers that might be near. It was camouflage- as Michonne said.

Once in the house, Daryl grabbed her by the hand and yanked her up the large wooden stairs. He ran into the closest bedroom, shut the door behind them and lifted the crossbow off her back gently. Her shoulder felt so much more relaxed. She didn't have time to marvel in that fact, however, as he grabbed her face in his calloused hands and brought their lips together again. It was forceful but she didn't care. Knowing that Daryl was here again and hadn't been lost to Woodbury for the second time made her even more grateful. She ran a hand through his hair and only broke apart when she needed to breathe.

"Thank God," she whispered with her forehead pressed on his.

"Shoulda given up on 'im a long time ago."

Carol shook her head. "You're here."

"I promised." He laughed slightly through his nose but smiled at her again. After a pause, he said, "We should go downstairs."

She smiled up at him and kissed him once more.

"Okay."

…

They were sat in a tight circle in the front room. It had gone dark now so they found candles and lit a few. The house was well equipped. Along with the canned food they had found before in the tiny shop, the house had more. It had blankets too. Maggie and Glenn huddled together in one. Rick and Carl shared another. Andrea and Michonne were silent but the blanket they had covered both their legs. Daryl inched closer to Carol until he felt comfortable but Carol didn't seem to care about personal space anymore. She pressed herself against him and her head fell to lean on his shoulder. His arms were behind him, pushing him in the upright position. A blanket was cast over her shoulder but she maneuvered it around his waist so it also covered his legs. He almost snorted but she wasn't taking no for an answer and she kept her arm around him.

"What now?" Maggie asked after a long silence.

All heads turned to look at her and Daryl saw the flash in Carol's eyes. He knew she had been enjoying this and they hadn't even been here a day. A nice house that was secure, food and warmth seemed enough to keep her happy.

"I don't know yet," Rick answered. "We'll stay here for a few days until we figure it out."

At that, Daryl noticed everyone in the room seemed happier and everyone shifted on the carpet, getting more comfortable. Carl was falling asleep next to Rick and Carol was dropping off on Daryl's shoulder.

"We'll stay down here," Michonne announced, obviously referring to herself and Andrea.

"There's a few rooms upstairs," Daryl said. "Should be enough."

Rick nodded and stood, picking Carl up. Daryl glanced at the boy and remembered just how young he was and how much he had gone through. Andrea and Michonne took off into the other rooms in the spacious house. Glenn and Maggie followed up the stairs next and then Carol yawned next to him.

"C'mon," he mumbled, nudging her. She clung onto his arm and he smirked. "There's comfy beds upstairs." She moaned, keeping her eyes shut. "'Kay," Daryl said shortly.

One of her bright blue eyes snapped open and looked at him curiously just as he threw one arm under her knees and placed the other on her back and then lifted her. She muffled a squeal at first and kicked her legs feebly before her arms fastened around his neck. Daryl noticed how light she was and he easily climbed the stairs with her. He kicked open the door to one of the rooms and placed her gently on the bed with the blanket still tangled around her legs.

"Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"That was like somethin' a married couple would do."

His heart seemed to skip a beat at her blunt statement.

"What you sayin'?" he asked, settling next to her on the bed and throwing the blanket over them both.

Her eyes were still closed but she still smirked.

"How you lifted me."

"I done it before."

"When I couldn't walk 'cause I was so exhausted," she teased.

"Ain't no dif'rent. You're tired," he grunted.

She sighed blissfully and rested her head on his chest.

"G'night, Daryl."

…

_"Sophia?" she heard herself say. "Baby, it's me!" _

_She was walking through the house. The back of Sophia's head came into view. The blue t-shirt was there. The one with the rainbow on the front. But something wasn't right. Her pants were dirty. There was a red, almost black, patch of sticky goo resting on her neck._

_"Sophia?" she called again, fear creeping into her voice. "Baby?"_

_The dead version of her daughter slowly turned around. Then everything happened very fast. Her mouth snapped open. She ran forward. A bullet flew into her head. A gun that was resting in Carol's hand. Then the barrel of the gun came up to her face. She couldn't control it. A shot echoed. _

She jolted awake, panting and sweaty, gripping onto the fabric of Daryl's shirt. The force of her grip seemed to rouse him and his eyes fluttered open, his expression turning to panic when he saw her face.

"Hey, woah," he whispered, pulling back to look at her. "The Hell happened?"

Carol allowed her breathing to slow before she spoke.

"Bad dream," she muttered.

There was a pause then Daryl pulled her in closer again.

"What about?"

She swallowed but said, "I had to shoot the little girl. She came at me. But she jus' reminded me of Sophia, is all. Probably why I dreamt that."

His arms tightened around her.

"You don't need t' think about that no more. It wasn't your fault. Hell, if it was anyone's, it was-"

"Shut up," she snapped, refusing to let Daryl put the blame on himself. "You did more for her in one day that Ed ever did in his whole life. I told you. You did all you could."

At that, she felt him relax and stroke her arm with his thumb. He was tired now and his thumb eventually slowed.

"I got ya," he sleep mumbled. "I love ya."


	21. Chapter 20

_Cause of this week's episode I wanted something like Carol looking at his scars and touching them. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Carol's head was in a whirl. She was sure he had said it. So sure. But it could have been all in her head. She could have dreamt it all and made it all up but, at the same time, she was sure she hadn't. When she woke up as the sun rose in the sky, he regarded her with a sleepy smile and a squeeze on her shoulder where his hand had been resting all night.

"Mornin'," he yawned.

Carol smiled up at him. "Morning." She thought. "Daryl..."

"What?" he asked, frowning at her.

She paused and considered what she was about to ask. What if she _had _made it up and then it made things awkward? Or, alternatively, he could feel embarrassed for saying it in the first place.

"Never mind," she decided, settling back on his chest.

His hand brushed up her arm again and she felt his head rest back against the pillow. Carol felt content for a moment until she heard arguing downstairs. Daryl lifted his head and sat up again. They both looked towards the door feeling very reluctant to move.

"Why can't we stay here?" Andrea cried. "We've got a nice thing going. And you're still bruised from Woodbury!"

"It's been one night," Rick shot back. "We need to go again. We're cornered here!"

There was a pause and Carol turned her head to look at Daryl who seemed very uneasy. She knew he wanted a rest from running too and she sure as hell didn't want to leave this house just yet. Someday, maybe, when they had to leave. Now, no way.

"And it could be more nights for a while!" Andrea replied, as if reading Carol's mind. "We have food and warmth and even protection!"

Another pause.

"One more night. We leave tomorrow."

Daryl sighed next to Carol and fell back on the mattress. She turned to look at him but he had his eyes closed and an unreadable expression on his face.

"It's okay, we'll find somewhere else," she said, lying back down next to him.

"Mm hmm. After how long?"

"Well-"

"All I wanna do is keep ya safe," he said, sitting up again.

Carol looked up at him and smiled. She was so grateful to have this man in her life.

"You do," she replied, stroking his cheek once with her thumb. "You're a great man, Daryl."

He snorted but then looked back at her and his expression became serious.

"Y'know... last night, I-"

"DARYL!"

"Damn it," he cursed in response to Rick's shout. "We should go down."

"Go for it," she said, grinning cheekily.

He chuckled and started to pull on his boots. Secretly, Carol felt deflated. What had he been about to to say? As she pulled on her own boots, she was scared. What if they had to leave tomorrow? Carol really didn't want another eight months travelling, barely sleeping or eating. But she supposed she'd have to get used to it again. As long as she was with Daryl, she didn't care what happened.

...

"What do you think?" Rick asked, spreading out a map on the kitchen table.

Daryl shrugged. "When we leavin'?" he asked, pretending he hadn't heard the argument from before.

"Tomorrow."

"Why?"

Rick glanced at him. "It's not safe here. I have to keep Carl safe. I promised Lori-" He paused. "I promised I'd keep him safe. I can't do that in a cornered house."

"You'll leave a house to spend another eight months on the road?"

Rick straightened up. "What I say goes."

After a long silence and a stare, only broken by Andrea entering the room cautiously, Rick tore his eyes away from Daryl and focussed back on the map. Daryl felt his anger rising to the surface so, instead of punching the man in the jaw (_which was what he needed, _Daryl thought), he stormed out of the room and up the stairs. His hand was resting on the door to their room when he saw the attic door above him to his right. Pulling the chord, a ladder unraveled to his feet so he climbed.

Once he was inside, he found that the attic was quite spacious despite the dust coating the place and the only light in the room came from a small window. He ran his hands along trunks whilst spider webs and dust glued to his fingers. There were old books too, ones that he thought Carol would like. Daryl picked one up and wiped the cover. It was by someone called Agatha Christie but the cover was colourful and it was a crime novel so he hoped she'd appreciate it. His thought of a surprise for her was then ruined as her head poked up into the attic room.

"Daryl?"

"C'm'ere and shut that behind ya."

She obeyed and walked towards him. He held out a book and then dropped to his knees to observe other ones so he could disguise the pleased smile that had crossed his face. Her small laugh brought his attention back to her face and he saw her smile sweetly at the book in her hands.

"Thank you, Daryl."

"S'okay."

Carol sat down next to him and placed the book on the floor. She fixed him with her gaze, still smiling.

"I meant it las' night," he blurted out. Instantly he knew his statement had caught her off guard. "But... If you don't... I mean-" He looked around, praying that she would change the subject.

"Daryl," she laughed, cutting him off. "I do." There was a moment of silence until she turned her head back to the door then faced him again with a grin. "We're alone."

"Nice obser-"

But he was quickly cut off as her hands grabbed either side of his face and she leant forward on her knees. Their lips crushed together but he steadied them both before holding her waist and pushing back up. For once, he wanted to be in complete control. So, taking advantage of her position over him, he twisted around and carefully lowered her down onto the floor with one hand on the small of her back and the other one balancing him. He did so in one swift movement and without breaking the kiss so now he came to rest on top of her. Daryl felt her hands run down his face, further down his chest and then stop and hang onto his hip bones. Her hands were soft and gentle and he broke away for just a second so he could glance at her face to check. The expression took him by complete surprise and he didn't need to look again. She was _expecting _him to continue.

His hands drifted up her top then down her sides and he dragged his lips down from her own to her neck. The skin was smooth and pale and was so easy to get lost in. Then her own hands crept up his shirt and further up his back. She stopped. He realised what happened and he opened his eyes to see her gazing at him.

"Daryl-"

"They're... Er... I know..."

...

Carol glanced down and then back up to his face. His eyes were closed and he almost looked ashamed. They both sat up.

"Can I see them?" she whispered, after a pause.

The look she was met with showed hesitation and she was scared that maybe this time she'd pushed it too far. But then, giving her a slight nod, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. She saw the tattoos on his chest and on the inside of his right bicep and then he turned to face away from her. There were other tattoos but none were as big as the scars he carried on his back. Carol had only caught part of one before, back at the barn when he was lying in his bed under a blanket, but that was nothing compared to this. They were large and dark red in colour- nearly purple- and covered the entirety of his lower back. There were others too. Burn marks and random little scratches dotted everywhere.

"Daryl," she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

There was no response and she couldn't see his face so, moving very slowly, her fingertips graced down his scars slowly and very gently. She felt him flinch under her touch at first but then he relaxed and sighed. Once she finished tracing over the last one, she stopped and brought her arms around his middle and hugged him into her, clasping her hands together at his abdomen.

"You're so brave," she whispered. He dragged an arm across his eyes and then a hand settled on her own. "I love you."


	22. Chapter 21

That night, Carol was wandering about upstairs as Daryl slept in their room. She entered into a large, old fashioned bedroom. There was a four poster bed, a huge oak wardrobe and a full length mirror in the corner next to a floor-to-ceiling window looking out to the back garden. It was a simple room and yet so lavish. Despite wanting to go and join Daryl back in bed, she was intrigued by the wardrobe. So, with curiosity she couldn't push down, she slowly wandered over to it. She took the handles in her small hands and pulled. The doors opened and slowly revealed a packed selection of clothes. There were reds as bright as cherries and dark as blood, greens as stunning as emeralds and deep as the darkest ocean. Yellows and purples swam into her vision and, for the first time in a long time, she felt herself grin from ear to ear. She checked over her shoulder, making sure the door was shut, and then grabbed a top from off the hanger.

It was a rich red colour and the style was simple. A tank top but with frills on the straps and a cream hem. She removed her old and dirty one and tossed it carelessly on the floor then pulled the new one over her head and moved across to the mirror. Smoothing out the new fabric, she stood and looked at her reflection. She hadn't worn something like this in... well, ever. Ed would have never let her wear something as bright and confident as this before. She supposed, looking around at the room again, that it wouldn't hurt to try a few more things on.

...

Daryl turned over in his sleep and his arm aimed to wrap around her body. He was met with a coiled arm around air which jolted him awake.

"Shit," he cursed, looking around the room.

He couldn't see her. Where had she gone? Sitting up, he attempted another glance around the deserted room. Everyone was downstairs and he could hear hushed talks. She must be there. Deciding to fight off fatigue instead of sleeping, Daryl pulled on his boots and made his way out of the room. He was about to set foot on the steps but light emanating out of the crack of a door down the hall stopped him. He frowned but started to walk. Suddenly, he felt quite nervous but he pushed it down and opened the door.

The creak of the door must have startled her because she whipped around from her place across the room with her face flushed as red as the jumper she had on. It was simple but looked quite baggy on her. She looked smothered and Daryl's mouth turned up at the corner. She looked beautiful.

"You look-"

"I know," she rushed out, looking embarrassed. "It's a little big."

"Nice."

Carol stopped and looked up then smiled. He saw her tugging down the sleeves to her knuckles and then frowned.

"What's wrong?"

She looked irritated and continued to pull at the length of the jumper. It looked like she was fighting with it and her face was now flushed completely red.

"Hey," he said, crossing over to her and taking hold of her wrists, "what's up?"

Her eyes met his and she sighed and relaxed. "Ed would never let me wear somethin' like this."

Daryl's stomach twisted. He never liked it when she brought Ed up.

"You can wear it now," he whispered, as if he was afraid someone else might hear. "You look good in it. Even if you ain't big enough for it," he added with a smile.

She laughed and choked back a sob in her voice. He chuckled as well and brought one arm around her waist with the other around her shoulders, hugging her into his chest. He kissed the top of her head lightly and then transferred his fingers to under her chin, tilting her head up.

"You're beautiful."

A sweet grin appeared on her face and she brushed at her eyes with the sleeves of the jumper.

"Help me get this thing off," she laughed.

He grabbed the hem of the jumper and hauled it over her head leaving her in just her old tank top. Carol ran her hands through her short grey hair and messed it up again then smiled up at him.

"Thank you."

She kissed him once and then pulled back. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on his lips then she moved back in. Daryl was caught off guard for a moment but then his arms tightened around her slim frame and pulled her in more. Her lean arms were fastened around his neck and he slowly started to walk forwards and push her against the wall. The blue eyes looked startled as they flashed open once in surprise. He met her gaze with a relaxed stare and continued the kiss. She was stuck between him and the wall now and he smiled into the kiss as she deepened it. His hands trailed down her sides until they arrived at her hips and he tightened his grip.

Nothing in his life had ever compared to this. His thoughts whirred around his head and he tried to focus on her completely. Even through the apocalypse, she had always smelled slightly of lavender and it fought its way through all his other senses. Her own hands had now found his waist and she grabbed his shirt fabric but his were elsewhere. One had moved to stroke along her collarbone with his thumb whilst pushing the strap off her shoulder. In the heat of the moment, his hand fell down to her breast and stayed. They remained in that position for several seconds until he heard a cheer from downstairs and, with a groan, he pulled back.

...

"What the hell?"

Carol was completely flustered as she smoothed out her top again and glanced to the door.

"I have no idea," she said, breathless and still recovering from the kiss. Daryl glanced back at her and smiled coyly. "Shut up," she said with a grin.

"C'mon."

He held out a hand for her to take and she felt warmth rush to her heart. Taking his calloused hand quickly in her own, she was led out of the room and down the stairs. Once they reached the main room, Carol saw Andrea had a wine glass in her hand that was held high above her head. Thick red liquid sloshed around in it and Andrea's grin spread wide.

"Look what I found!" she cried, beaming.

Daryl snorted but then Glenn came in and handed him a beer. Carol's mouth was agape.

"How did you-"

"Basement!" Maggie laughed, pressing a glass into her hand.

Michonne and Rick also had beers. Carl had a small drop then made a face and pushed it away earning a laugh from everyone else. Even Rick smiled briefly.

Carol stood in the candlelit room drinking the wine and noticing that Daryl's hand hadn't left her own once.


	23. Chapter 22

_Okay, I've had work to do all week so sorry for the delay. It feels like I haven't written in ages! I hope this chapter makes up for it and you'll see some of my own thoughts on Caryl shown through Carol. Enjoy!_

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Daryl woke with a weight on his chest. As he looked down, he noticed Carol fast asleep and he smiled to himself and sighed. His breath tasted slightly of alcohol from last night. Rick had urged everyone not to have too much but he soon gave in and Daryl's hopes that they would not be leaving this morning soared. Carol maneuvered off his chest and turned so she was lying on one of his arms, facing away from him. In that moment, Daryl felt content and... peaceful. He lay like that for a few seconds until a light knock sounded on his door. Slowly sliding his arm out from underneath Carol, he ambled across the room and open the door. Rick stood there with bloodshot eyes accompanied by heavy purple bags under them.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Daryl frowned. "For what?"

"I told you we were going today."

"No, we ain't."

Rick shifted his weight onto his other foot. "Daryl, I said-"

"She- We're comfortable here. Ya can't jus' move us all out like that."

"Look-"

"Jus' another day."

"What about Woodbury?"

"They ain't gonna chase us forever."

Rick sighed through his nose and kneaded his tired eyes for a moment. "Fine," he said, looking back up at Daryl. "But we're goin' tomorrow. Don't try to ask again." Then he turned and paced down the corridor and back into his own room.

Daryl bit the inside of his lip and closed the door to his room. When he turned, he saw that Carol was awake and sitting up. The blanket they shared was draped over her legs and she had an expectant look on her face.

"I told 'im we ain't leavin' today," he explained. She nodded and smiled slightly but she looked sad. "What's up?" he asked, crossing over to the bed and sitting down next to her again on top of the blanket.

"I wish we could just be happy here," she whispered. "It's a nice house. It has food and warmth. I just want to settle somewhere and be peaceful for once."

Daryl nodded. "I know. Rick's jus' worried about Woodbury."

"Why?"

He glanced sideways at her, trying to tell if she was joking. Then, when he was sure she wasn't, he said, "They might come after us. An' I ain't gonna let anythin' happen to ya again." He added the last bit, feeling the urge to protect her and reassure her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Almost as soon as the contact was made, she fell against him and they leant on the headboard together. It was quiet for a few minutes then Carol spoke up.

...

"I stabbed him," she mumbled into his chest.

Silence.

"Ya what?"

"I stabbed him," she repeated.

"Stabbed who?" A pause. She felt his head press closer on her own like he was looking down. "Carol."

"The Governor."

The silence suffocated her and she wanted to make a joke or some sort of clever innuendo to ease the situation. But she couldn't. There was nothing to say or joke about. Carol didn't dare move her head from his chest to look into those piercing blue eyes for fear that, if she did, she wouldn't be able to handle the expression on his face. Then she couldn't take it.

"Daryl?"

A pause.

"Yeah?"

"Say somethin'."

Another pause.

"I know one thing," he stated, his chest reverberating as he spoke. Carol shut her eyes. "Nobody should mess wi' ya."

"What?" she asked, lifting herself up and finally looking at him.

He regarded her with such a cool, almost amused, expression as he shrugged and said, "I trained ya well with that gun." Then he grinned.

"I thought you would be mad or somethin'."

"The hell is there t' be mad at?" he asked, shuffling closer to her on the bed where she sat in front of him.

"I..." Carol thought. Then realised. What _was_ there to be mad at? She'd killed the Governor, hadn't she? She was such an idiot and she laughed.

Daryl raised his eyebrows but there was a smile playing on his lips. "What's funny?"

She sighed to herself. "Nothing."

He held his arms out in front of him and she crawled forward and sat in his lap. Carol felt one of his arms curling around her back just under her ribs and the other was resting on her thigh with his hand on her hip, pulling her in gently. It was strange, she thought, how they could connect like this. No kisses, no sex, just a comforting hold or words. Carol put her head back slightly and looked up at Daryl. The corner of her mouth twitched up into a smile. This man had rescued her on at least three occasions. Not counting the hundreds of walkers he must have killed that could have posed a threat to her or the group.

"Want to get some food?" he asked, giving her one last squeeze.

She nodded and hopped out of his arms only to have his hand enclose around her own again as they left the room.

...

Daryl noted, almost as soon as they reached the front room, that everyone was feeling quite tense. Carl, Andrea, Michonne, Glenn and Maggie all sat in an almost circle eating contents out of plastic bowls. Andrea half smiled at him and Carol as they entered and she handed them both bowls of their own. They joined the circle and the silence continued until Carl looked at Daryl.

"When are we leaving?" the boy asked.

At that moment, all eyes were on him. They were all looking at him for an answer.

"Rick says we ain't leavin' 'til tomorrow," he said, continuing to eat. Next to him, he felt Carol shuffle a little closer and just feeling her presence there was enough. "We're alright here for today."

Maggie sighed. "I wanna stay here."

"There's still the threat from Woodbury," Glenn argued.

Andrea and Michonne shared a look which then transferred to Carol and Daryl caught it.

"What?" he asked.

Andrea looked towards Carol and then back at him. "Has she not told you?"

"I just did," Carol said, laughing under her breath.

"What?" Maggie asked, staring at each of them.

Before Andrea could say anything, Michonne cut in.

"She killed the Governor," she said, tilting her head in Carol's direction.

Maggie's mouth fell open, as did Carl's and Glenn's. A gasp flew out of Maggie before she could stop it.

"My God," she laughed after a moment, resting back on her hands. "Nobody should mess with you!"

Carl and Glenn couldn't take their eyes off the woman who sat silently and modestly to Daryl's right. He felt a sense of pride knowing that she was his. After their meal, Carol and Andrea took everyone's dishes into the kitchen. Glenn glanced at Daryl and smirked.

"What you gettin' at?"

"Nothing," Glenn muttered, still smirking.

Daryl snorted but Carl and Maggie were both smiling too. He wondered how long the group had known about him and Carol.

...

Later, the sky was turning dark and Carol stood at the window of their room looking up at the sky. It was a clear night and there was a crescent moon at the centre of all the stars that dotted around.

"What ya lookin' at?"

She didn't jump anymore when he crept up on her. Carol had gotten used to the fact that Daryl was silent and it never caught her off guard.

"Just the stars," she answered. "The little things... Well... they aren't little. But nobody seems to appreciate them anymore."

"Not many people can," he said, moving so his chest was pressed up against her back and winding his arms around her.

"We're lucky."

That was how they stayed for the next hour until she became tired and they moved to lie down on the bed, still in that position.


	24. Chapter 23

_I haven't updated in a looong time! So sorry! Here, have some angst!_

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The next morning, Daryl woke to find Carol stuffing their stuff in a worn duffle bag. She was concentrating and her face was creased into a frown. The way she stuffed items of clothing into the bag suggested she was less than happy about the situation to leave.

"What ya doin'?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Packin'."

He sensed her blunt tone and sat up on the bed. Daryl watched her movements for a few moments until she stopped, picked up the half empty duffle and excused herself to gather more clothes. Before exiting, she kissed the top of Daryl's head with a hand on his cheek and smiled. His head fell back onto the pillow when she left the room. Despite sleeping for so long, he felt worn out but he sighed and knew he would just have to suck it up and get ready to leave.

Then he thought about how far they had come since the prison and all that had happened. Daryl thought of Lori and baby Judith and grimaced. Then thought of his brother crept up on him. Merle. He had to kill him. _Only a Dixon can kill a Dixon, _was what he had said to Carol, wasn't it? The thought of his own brother, who had been around since the world had gone to shit, as a walker was haunting and nightmares still occurred every night. But he didn't tell Carol. He would never say. He had to be strong for her.

...

Carol stood in the other grand bedroom down the hallway. She cast her eyes around it and tried to mimic the same feeling she had the first time she found it. Its luxurious, expensive decor was all that she had ever wanted in a house and she sighed heavily. Moving over to the wardrobe, she grabbed the cold handles and threw the doors open. All of the clothes were still neatly hung as though they had never been touched by anyone. Carol smiled to herself and started to pull them off the hangers and into a large pile on the floor. She picked out practical clothes for the coming autumn and winter. Thick tops, cardigans, the jumper and underwear. All necessities.

She sat in the remaining clothes after others had been packed away and felt completely deflated. Rick had knocked lightly on their door that morning when she was lying with Daryl's arm across her waist. Daryl hadn't even stirred as she slowly untangled her legs from his and moved across the room. Rick was stood in the doorway looking worse for wear. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked as though he was going to fall asleep on the spot. But Carol knew why. Nightmares about losing his daughter. She could relate. The bruises from Woodbury were slowly fading on Rick's face and you could barely see them at all now.

"You know we're leavin' today?" Rick whispered.

Carol nodded and she was answered with an expectant look on Rick's face.

"What?" she asked.

"We need to get goin' as soon as possible."

Carol glanced over her shoulder at Daryl, whose face was contorted with pain, for a few seconds and then faced Rick again. "He's still sleepin'."

"Wake him."

"Rick-"

"Please."

Not a soul was awake in the house. It was very early in the morning and the sun was only just rising in the sky.

"Just a few more hours until everyone's awake," she practically pleaded. "Then we'll go."

Rick regarded her for a few seconds and then sighed. "Fine. A few hours," he said. Then he stalked off and back into his own room.

Carol thought about the interaction as she was sorting through the clothes and then she thought about Daryl. Yeah, she had lost her daughter and Rick had lost his but Daryl had also lost someone. His brother. Probably the person who had meant the most to him in this world. And he was the one who killed him. Suddenly, Carol felt a wave of guilt. Why hadn't they talked about it more? Why had he never mentioned it? And she could bet that killing Merle was what his nightmares had been about. Every night he had been tossing and turning or grabbing her top to try to relieve his dreams.

"Damn." She cursed herself as she threw down the flimsy dress that she had been clenching in her hands. "Idiot."

...

Daryl was sitting alone in their room when memories of his brother flew at him at an alarming rate. Loss settled heavily in his stomach and he felt more alone than ever. Realising that Carol (his girlfriend? That didn't seem right) was in the other room, he picked himself up and paced quickly to the other room. He knocked once on the door before it was flung open in front of him. Carol stood there, with tears in her eyes, and it didn't take her long to throw her arms around his neck. His head fell on her shoulder and his hands gripped the back of her top tightly. Daryl felt one of her hands moving up to stroke through his hair.

"You miss him, don't you?" she whispered in his ear.

He nodded against her shoulder and clenched his eyes shut.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked you sooner."

Daryl couldn't help a short laugh at her constant apologising.

"It's all okay," she soothed.

And then, as though those words were a key, silent tears fell down his cheek and he held her tighter against him. Her soft hand still coursed through his hair whilst the other was tightly around his neck. Daryl felt a sense of relief as he confessed everything to her without uttering a single word.

When he had finally given her one last squeeze, she dropped an inch as she stood down from her tip toes. Her hand had moved to rest against his cheek, wiping away a tear, and she still stood inches away.

"I'm sorry, Daryl."

"Quit apologisin'," he snapped. Then he realised how harsh the words sounded. "I was tryin' to label ya before."

"What?" she asked, clearly bewildered.

"Callin' ya my _girlfriend_ don't sit right."

"Well then I can be your _lady_friend."

Daryl eyed her face, searching for her joking expression. It was only when a few moments had passed that Carol finally burst out into laughter.

"And you can be my _man_friend," she added, still giggling.

He glanced at her again but her laugh was a sweet sound that he hadn't heard in far too long. Daryl chuckled.

"Everyone's up! We're hittin' the road in minutes!" Rick called from downstairs.

Daryl turned back to Carol who was still smiling bravely in front of him. He kissed the top of her head and then moved into the room where Carol had been packing. Picking up the duffle in one swift movement, he put one hand on the small of Carol's back and guided her out of the room. He let her have one last glance before shutting the door behind them and, even though she looked sad to be leaving, Daryl smiled at her and took her hand.


	25. Chapter 24

_I have not updated in ages! So sorry! I haven't been able to write this for a while!_

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They had walked along a main road all day until the sun was setting in the sky. There had been brief conversations between the small group throughout the day but Daryl noted they were very short-lived. He walked at the front with Rick and occasionally glanced over his shoulder to see Carol, rifle slung over her shoulder and cardigan wrapped around her, trudging along next to Andrea. She sometimes lifted those bright blue eyes off the ground and met his own but then he would nod and face forward again following a smile. They had stopped just once in the day to eat some food out of the cans they carried and then packed up to continue. There hadn't been many walkers roaming around but, when the odd one came along, it posed no threat and they were killed without wasting ammo.

Finally, once the sky had gone completely dark, Rick had come across an old car dealership. The lot, which housed rusty cars, was surrounded with a net of tall wire standing at around ten feet. Rick grunted in approval and moved to the gate, that was locked by a large padlock, beckoning Daryl to follow. They examined the gate in silence until Rick took the duffle off his shoulder and dropped it to the ground. He ripped the zip open and produced the wire cutters. Daryl looked towards the rest of the group and then at Carol. She smiled in return and nodded back at him.

Rick pulled the wire off the gate and said, "We'll stay in here for the night. It's safe."

Whilst the group exchanged glances, Daryl sighed and ducked under Rick's arm and into the compound. He heard shuffling feet behind him as he straightened up and realised Carol had followed him closely, willing to go wherever he felt was right.

"Do you think it's safe?" she asked.

There was a small building to the right of the fenced area. The front door leading into the house would be locked but Daryl shrugged.

"One way t' find out," he replied, moving to a space in the small lot and dropping his own duffle. He swung his crossbow around into his arms and glanced at her. "Lookin' inside."

"I'll go with you," she said, mirroring him almost exactly with her own gun.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine," he said. Then added, "Stay close."

He nodded at Rick and proceeded up the steps with Carol on his tail. The house was only small. It would only take two of them. At least that was what he liked to believe, not _I would just like some time to talk to her properly again like in the attic. _Not that the memory of that was stuck in his head. Not at all.

...

Carol was determined to be with Daryl alone. Even if it was just checking an abandoned building next to them for walkers. He was walking in front of her which gave her time to observe him in silence. It wasn't a suffocating silence though. It was more of a _I- know-you're-here-with-me-and-that's-nice _comfortable silence. They walked into a damp smelling room and there was nothing so they proceeded down the corridor. Daryl kicked down a door and inside there were two walkers. His crossbow came up and one was shot with ease.

Whilst that was being taken care of, Carol decided to launch herself at the other and sink her knife into its eye. She stepped back and wiped her bloody hand on her cardigan. As she looked up, she caught Daryl's eye and he was smirking.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothin'," he muttered, still smirking. "C'mon."

He walked past her and they exited this room to turn into the next and final one. Empty. But they still stood there. It was dark with the only light coming from the moonlight poking through the odd windows around the building. It was dark enough so you couldn't see faces, just silhouettes, but Carol could still make out Daryl's face and the line of his lips. They were stood next to each other and then Daryl's eyes flashed as he looked down at her. His hands came up to her face but, instead of gripping her and kissing her forcefully, he brought her lips gently up to his own for only a few seconds then he broke away.

"We should get back," he said.

"Pretty romantic," she grinned.

Daryl chuckled. "Stop."

And they went back to the rest of the group outside.

...

It was a warm night and the stars were out so why waste it indoors, Daryl had thought. He had started to build up a fire when Rick came over and questioned him.

"It's warm out here," he replied. "I'm gonna stay."

Daryl saw Andrea, Glenn, Maggie and Carl look at him for a moment. Michonne was already lying on a blanket in the corner of the lot on her own so Andrea moved to lie close to her. Carl settled across from the fire Daryl was making and began unpacking spare blankets from his duffle. Glenn and Maggie cuddled to the side of him and Rick finally seated himself next to Carl. Nobody said a word.

Slowly, after he had lit the flames, Daryl shuffled backwards a little until he was next to Carol. She was holding a book in her hands and he frowned.

"Where did ya-"

"It's the one you gave me," she whispered. "In the attic," she added.

He nodded. "Is it good?"

"Yeah," she said. "But no pictures."

Daryl glanced at her and a smile played on his lips. He liked the fact that she wasn't shy anymore. The fact that she could crack a joke. That she didn't seem afraid of anything. How she had gone at that walker in the house had surprised him but he loved it. He moved closer and positioned his arm behind her with his hand planted on the ground on her other side. Daryl smiled as he saw the corner of her mouth flick up and her eyes glance up at him.

"Thank you," she mouthed.

He frowned. "For what?"

"About a year ago today, you saved me on the farm."

Daryl was bewildered. How had she remembered that? A year? Surely it can't have been that long ago. Though he didn't suppose you forget being saved. He looked around and realised this little camp was similar to where they were last year. When Rick had said it wasn't a democracy anymore and confessed to killing Shane. He remembered Lori and T-Dog and Herschel and Beth. How many had been lost in a year thanks to a few people. He thought about Little Ass Kicker and felt sad. A baby brought into a world of the dead. But he couldn't think about that now. Daryl had Carol next to him and his hand moved to her waist. He leant his head against hers then kissed her temple.

Glenn made eye contact with him and he smirked. Daryl glanced down at Carol, making sure her eyes were firmly glued to the pages of her book, before flipping off the Korean.


End file.
